


Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby

by MoniLovesMochi



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Medical, Fluff, Homophobic Language, Internalized Homophobia, Light Angst, M/M, Slow Burn, Strangers to Lovers, from our lovely Terry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:20:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 26,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25144573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoniLovesMochi/pseuds/MoniLovesMochi
Summary: An AU where Ian is a paramedic and Mickey is in desperate need of some help.
Relationships: Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich
Comments: 66
Kudos: 210





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I have no medical training at all, so everything in this fic is what I know from tv lol 
> 
> This is just a small prologue, the rest of the chapters will be longer and written like a story (:
> 
> All chapters are beta-ed by EditorPincy, thank you! <3

911 operator: _“911, what is your emergency?”_

Mandy: _“It’s my brother… Terry, uhm, my dad, he… He beat him and now… Now he's bleeding. It’s bad. There's blood everywhere and… He has a wound on his head. I don’t want him to die. Please send help, I’m scared.”_

911 operator: _“What is your name and address?”_

Mandy: _“Mandy. And the address is 1995 S Trumball Ave.”_

911 operator: _“Okay, Mandy. Are you safe? Is your father still in the house?”_

Mandy: _“No, he left. It’s just me and my brother now. He just kept hitting him. Even after he went down, Terry wouldn't stop hitting him in the face and in the chest. I screamed and screamed, but he wouldn't stop.”_

911 operator: _“I understand that this was very scary to witness. I’m glad that you called us. It's good that your dad is gone now. Do you know if he will be back soon?"_

Mandy: _"He's probably out drinking now, which means he will be gone for at least a few hours."_

911 operator: _"Okay that's good. I need a bit more information to give the paramedics. What’s your brother’s name and how old is he?”_

Mandy: _“Mickey, Mickey Milkovich. He just turned eighteen.”_

911 operator: _“Thank you, you are doing great, Mandy. Could you check for me if your brother is still breathing?"_

Mandy: _“Uhm, yes, he is still breathing, but he has his eyes closed and he’s not moving. He… Uhm... He hasn’t moved since my dad left.”_

911 operator: _“Okay, Mandy, thank you for the information. Keep talking to me and also keep checking on your brother. I have already called an ambulance and given the paramedics all the information. They are on their way and should arrive in about five minutes."_

Mandy: _“Thank you. I’m so scared. If I lose Mickey I have nothing left. He is all I have right now. I can’t lose him.”_

911 operator: _“You won’t lose your brother, Mandy. Help is on the way and they will do everything in their power to save Mickey. I promise.”_

Mandy: _“Thank you.”_

911 operator: _“No problem, Mandy. I see they should be out front right now. Can you open the door for the paramedics to enter your home?”_

Mandy: _“Yes, I hear the ambulance. I’m going to the door now.”_

911 operator: _“Okay Mandy, I will stay on the line until I am sure that they are inside.”_

Mandy: _“Yes, I let them in. Thank you very much.”_

911 operator: _“No problem at all, Mandy. Please stay safe.”_

Mandy: _“Thank you again, I will.”_


	2. Neon Moon

“June, Ian!” Rita barges into the lunch room where June and Ian are chatting after finishing their lunch. 

“Unresponsive male with a head injury, eighteen years old. His sister is on the scene, she will let you in.” 

Ian gets up from his seat and quickly puts his jacket on, before leaving the break room with Jane in tow.

They quickly make their way over to one of the ambulances and get into the routine they have done so many times, the process happens on autopilot. 

Rita tells them she will contact June over the radio before heading back into her office to check if any other calls have come in.

After a quick inspection to see if they have everything they need to help the patient, June enters the address in the GPS. Ian puts his seatbelt on and starts driving with the sirens on full blast. 

Like Rita had said, June gets all the information they need over the two-way radio. 

“We will be there in about six minutes if we can keep driving at this speed.” June informs Rita over the radio while Ian keeps his eyes focused on the road, making sure not to run over anyone. 

He catches the names _Mickey_ and _Mandy_ and something about the dad being the attacker, but other than that, Ian keeps his focus on the steering wheel.

“I will never get tired of these family drama’s, it’s the charm of the South Side I guess,” June jokes. Ian can’t really laugh at this though. He’s had enough altercations with his own dad in his teens. Nothing this serious, but still bad enough that Ian flinches every time Frank’s hands come too close to his face. 

Ian stays quiet while he pulls at the steering wheel to get the ambulance into the street they are supposed to be at. 

June reads the room and stays quiet for the last few seconds of their trip.

This street is vaguely familiar to Ian. It’s a couple blocks away from his childhood home. Ian hasn’t lived in that house since he turned eighteen, almost four years ago. 

His brother Lip had been living in the college dorms for a year when he somehow got hold of a large sum of money and started renting a small apartment. He had immediately offered Ian to stay with him and get out of the chaos that is the Gallagher house. 

Lip didn’t tell him how he got the money and Ian didn’t ask. He was glad to move out of the full house and to live with Lip again. They had, after all, shared a room their entire life and Ian was sure that Lip had missed him in the year that he was living alone.

Ian had been glad to be out of the Southside and focus on his EMT training, while Lip spent most of his time in the robotics lab or in the living room of their apartment studying all night.

They went out from time to time, but apparently not as much as had been happening in Lip’s first year of college. According to him, he barely got any sleep in that first year. So the quiet of their shared apartment in the evening was a welcome change to Lip.

The silence had been something that took Ian some time to get used to. He had grown up trying to sleep through yelling, sirens, or the sounds of Fiona banging some boyfriend through the thin walls.

It was one of the best decisions he had ever made, because he passed his training with flying colours and joined Rita’s team soon after getting his degree.

Lip and Ian had lived together near the university for three years, until Lip was done with school and started working at the college as a teacher. He met the love of his life and moved in with her, leaving Ian alone in the apartment.

At 22 years old, this was a welcome chapter in Ian's life. Now, he has plenty of room for himself in the small apartment and enough opportunity to invite flings over. 

Ian hasn’t been in this neighbourhood since his teenage years. He occasionally visits his brothers and sisters, but he never strays too far from his own street. 

June and Ian get out of the ambulance. Ian takes their kit with them and starts walking, while June calls in that they have arrived at the house and are about to enter.

The house in front of them is in a way worse shape than the Gallagher home. Boarded up windows on the front, chipped wood on the outside of the walls and all sorts of garbage in the front yard, making it a typical Southside home, albeit, one in a very bad shape.

The stairs leading up to the front door have seen better days; some of the planks are loose or broken. Ian notes that they will need to be careful when they take the patient out of the house on the stretcher.

Looking around at the pieces of scrap and the rotting garbage in the front yard, Ian can only imagine the life of the young man they are about to help. Living in a shithole like this, getting beat up by his dad. Ian feels for the guy even before he has seen him.

A girl with black hair, black clothes and a colourful beanie opens the door before Ian can knock. The look on her face can only be described as scared and sad. Her bottom lip is trembling like she is on the verge of crying.

She lets them in while finishing a phone call with one of the 911 operators.

Ian closes the front door behind him, while June makes her way to the unconscious young man lying in the middle of the living room. 

"Please save my brother, he is all I have. I can't lose him, please." 

Ian walks up to the girl, who is still standing in that same spot, watching June examining the injury on her brother’s head. 

"Hey, Mandy, right?" 

She nods. Ian puts a hand on her arm to comfort her before continuing. "We will do everything in our power to help your brother, trust me. We will check his vitals and bandage his wounds, before handing him over to the very capable doctors in the hospital." 

Mandy nods, but the worried look on her face remains. 

Before walking up to the patient, Ian glances around the house. He spots a half-opened cabinet with enough guns to arm a small army. 

Empty beer bottles and pizza boxes are scattered around the living area and the dishes are piling up in the sink. A couple of fist sized holes decorate the yellowed walls. 

The television is playing some wrestling match and the coffee table seems to have been broken during the altercation. It’s missing two of its legs and it’s broken in half. 

The inside of the house doesn’t look much better than the outside. Ian can only imagine what went down in this house. The dad should go to prison for this, but he knows better than anyone else that this is part of living in the Southside. The cops don’t have time to handle deadbeat dads or unsafe living environments when there’s plenty of drugs and murder to deal with. 

While June is starting to bandage up the boy’s head wound, Ian takes his blood pressure and checks his vitals.

The clothing the boy is wearing is soaked in blood and dirt. He's wearing a ratty old t-shirt of some band Ian doesn’t recognize and shorts that have seen better days. One of his socks has a hole in it and the other one is covered in some unknown greasy substance. 

There's blood everywhere and the boy is covered in bruises. He has a black eye and there's a small trail of dried blood coming out of his nose. His lip seems to be busted and Ian notices some darker spots around his neck.

Ian suspects that he probably has some broken ribs as well. With an awful feeling in the pit of the stomach, Ian lifts the boy’s shirt, to check if he is correct. Sadly, he is.

“June, I think he has some broken ribs, two or three. We need to call that in on the way.”

“Yeah, the son of a bitch got him good. Poor kid fought back though, look at his knuckles.” June holds one of Mickey’s hands up to show Ian.

Mandy is silently sitting on the couch, observing the scene playing out in front of her. “Of course he fought back, it’s Mickey Milkovich, no one fucks with him.” 

There’s a small smile on her face when she says that, which makes Ian happy. She seems to have calmed down a bit, now that they are here. 

The boy has a beautiful face under all the bruises and the dirt. Ian can't help but wonder what he would look like in a normal state, in a better environment. 

“Do you have any idea why your dad did this to your brother?” Ian asks while June is finishing up on checking Mickey's vitals. 

“I’m not sure. I heard Terry yell something about it not being true and that no son of his is like that, but I have no clue what he meant. I came home in the middle of the fight, just before my dad slammed Mickey through the coffee table.”

_Jesus Christ, he sounds like a nice man, definitely father material._

Ian nods, but isn't really satisfied with the answer. He wants to make sure Mickey and Mandy will be safe after their return from the hospital, but he isn’t sure how he could help them. 

_Maybe the guns? If this Terry guy doesn’t clear them out before I call the police, who knows?_

June is calling in their return to the hospital while Ian packs their supplies back into their bag.

“Vitals are good, two or three broken ribs and a large head wound. Bleeding has stopped and we’ve temporarily bandaged it. Patient is still unresponsive. We are loading him up now and will be there in about six minutes.” 

June and Ian carefully load Mickey onto a stretcher and take him outside through the front door while Mandy holds it open.

They safely put Mickey in the back of the ambulance and while June straps him in, Ian walks back to Mandy, who is leaning against the fence of the front yard.

"You can ride in the back of the ambulance with me if you want to. I think it would be safer in the case that your dad comes back, if you come with us." 

Mandy doesn't look at him. She averts her eyes and stares off into the distance, gnawing on her bottom lip. He is probably out of line with that comment. 

Ian wants Mandy to be safe and not have to face the wrath that her father might unleash upon her when he learns about the 911 call. 

If he wants Mandy to come with them, he needs to approach this from a different angle: the brother she cares so much about. 

"It would be good for your brother, when he wakes up, to see a familiar face. Otherwise he is all alone in that hospital. We don’t know how the head wound will affect him; he might need your help, Mandy." Ian puts on his softest pleading smile. 

"Yes, that is true, I guess." With a scoff she walks back towards the house and closes the front door. 

June gets in the front of the ambulance and waits for Ian and Mandy to get in the back and strap themselves into their chairs.

When June starts driving, Mandy looks at her brother, who is strapped to the bed with all kinds of tubes coming out of his body. He has a bandage on the wound on his head and he is breathing with the assistance of a machine. 

Ian sees Mandy reaching out and taking Mickey's hand in her own. She looks at him and whispers: "If you die, I promise you I will kill Terry with my own two hands."

She had seemed calm a few minutes ago, but now there was a fire in her eyes. 

“I’m sure there will be no need to kill anyone.” Ian tries to make light of the situation but Mandy still has the same look on her face. 

“This isn’t the first time he has done this. It’s just the worst one. You should have seen it. Mickey had already gone through the table, he didn’t get up anymore. But Terry just kept hitting him in the chest and in his face. He stopped because I was screaming and jumped on his back. He threw me across the room and left.”

Ian’s heart breaks a little. He has seen many terrible things during his career as an EMT and now as a paramedic, but somehow this case is different. He feels deeply for these siblings and he isn’t sure why.

Mandy is still holding Mickey’s bruised hand. Ian can decipher the word _fuck_ tattooed on his fingers. The tattoo fits his whole appearance, Ian likes it.

June seems to be driving with the speed of light, because about four minutes later, they have arrived at the hospital. 

Ian tells Mandy to take a seat in the waiting room while June and him unload the patient from the back of the ambulance and put him on the hospital bed their coworkers have rolled towards them.

He promises Mandy to come back and check up on her after his shift is over, which she thankfully accepts before turning around and walking towards the rotating doors of the hospital.

Ian watches as Mickey gets rolled away on the bed and disappears into the hospital through the emergency entrance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 will be up in the weekend (:


	3. Touch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mandy is 17, Mickey 18 and Ian 22 in this fic (:

Ian’s shift is going by at a snail’s pace. Since Mickey had been handed over to the hospital staff, Ian can’t stop worrying about him. 

June and him are sitting in the corner of their favourite burger place for their lunch break.

He is absent-mindedly shoving fries into his mouth, while June is telling him about some show she is watching.

He can’t seem to focus on her story; his mind keeps going back to that beautiful, broken boy. 

What could have been the reason for his dad to react in such a violent way? And how could a father do that to his son?

Frank had punched Ian in the face on multiple occasions, but he had never gone this far. Never had he beaten Ian into the hospital, no matter how pissed off or high he got. 

Ian wonders if Mickey had actually done something wrong or if his dad was just taking his anger issues out on his son. Whatever the case was, Terry went too far and he deserved punishment for his actions. 

Killing him, like Mandy had said, seems to be a step too far, but getting him in jail would be a good solution to keep the siblings safe, at least for a while. 

He should ask Mandy for more information and make a plan to get Terry off the streets. Maybe he could also ask Tony for help. Even though Fiona had treated him badly, he was still a family friend. 

“Gallagher, are you even listening?”

June is waving her arms in front of him, snapping him back to reality.

“Shit, sorry, I got distracted.” He smiles at her, but she doesn’t seem impressed. 

“Distracted by what? Your fries?” She takes a sip of her Fanta and scrunches up the paper her burger had been wrapped in. 

“No, not the fries,” Ian chuckles. “I just keep thinking about Mandy and Mickey. Wondering how they are.” 

“Dude. What’s with you and these kids? Do you know them or something?” June is sitting across from him, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.

“No, I don’t know them. Just… I don’t know… I'm worried about them. No one deserves to be raised by a parent like that.” 

“You are a paramedic, Ian. You will see a lot more of these fucked up cases, especially in the Southside. You can’t worry about all of them.”

“I know, June, there’s just something different about this case.”

June shakes her head before getting up from the table and dumping the contents of her tray into the nearest garbage can.

“You’re a fucking weird one, Gallagher.” 

Ian chuckles again, but doesn’t comment. He keeps silently sipping his coffee and finishes his fries, still mulling over what would be the best way to fuck Terry over.

After aiding an elderly lady that had slipped and fell in her bathroom and driving a homeless man who had been stabbed in the leg to the hospital, Ian and June are now sitting in the break room, waiting for Rita to get another call and send them on their way.

Their shift is almost over, and Ian is desperately hoping that they won’t be called in at the last minute. 

To pass the time and not glance at the clock every other minute, Ian is flipping through a magazine that Rita left on the table in the break room. 

June walks into the break room and stops next to Ian, looking over his shoulder. 

“That’s an extremely interesting article, Ian.” 

She takes the seat next to him and smiles a wide smile. “But our shift is over, go check on your hood rats."

Upon arrival, Ian asks what room Mickey Milkovich is in at the front desk. After showing the receptionist his badge, she gives him the room number and the directions to get there.

Ian practically runs through the long hallway and nearly bumps into a nurse helping a patient cross the hallway. 

After profusely apologising and putting on his most charming smile, the nurse tells him to be on his way, but to be more careful from now on. Ian nods and walks in a fast pace until he reaches the correct room. 

Mickey looks very peaceful lying in the bed, if you’d ignore all the tubes attached to his body and the beeping of the heart monitor displaying a nice and steady rhythm. 

The wound on his head has been neatly stitched up and all his cuts and scrapes have been cleaned. 

The skin around his eye is still swollen and his knuckles look pretty sore as well, but at least the traces of blood are gone.

Ian scans the information on the chart attached to the hospital bed. 

Mickey has a severe concussion, but no permanent brain damage. He is in a coma, but, according to the notes on the chart, he should wake up within the next couple of days.

He will probably have to stay in the hospital for a bit to recover from the concussion and to let his broken ribs heal, but at least he won't have any lasting damage other than some scars.

A feeling or relief washes over Ian. He still isn't sure why he cares so much about this patient that he hasn't spoken to or even seen before, but something inside of him wants Mickey to be okay and to see him happy and healthy.

Ian takes a closer look at the scratches and bruises on the boy's face and pushes a strand of stray hair behind his ears, his fingers slightly brushing over the skin on Mickey’s forehead. 

The beeping on the heart monitor intensifies, making Mandy, who was asleep in one of the chairs next to Mickey's bed, suddenly stirs awake.

Ian quickly pulls his hand back and turns around to face Mandy. 

"Hey, you actually came!" 

She stretches her arms and legs before getting out of the chair and walking towards him.

"Of course I did. I wanted to check in on both of you." Ian smiles at her.

“I’ve never seen my brother this relaxed.” Mandy walks over to her brother and places her hand on his arm. 

“Even when he is sleeping, he is always restless, on edge, like he is waiting to be attacked by someone.”

Ian looks at her with a soft smile. 

“He does look very peaceful. I saw on his chart that it’s just a concussion and that he will be awake within a couple of days. That’s good news.” 

Mandy nods while slowly tracing her brother’s arm with her fingers. 

“No need to kill Terry, I guess.” 

“I think killing him wouldn’t have been the answer anyway... Unless you want to end up in jail.” 

“You don’t think I could handle the bitches in there?” Mandy balls up her fists and shows off her muscles, making Ian chuckle. 

“You could definitely handle them, but we should fix this another way.” 

“Fine.” Mandy rolls her eyes and sighs. “We’ll talk about it later. First, I need to eat something. I’m heading down to the canteen to grab some food. Do you want anything?” 

Ian shakes his head and takes the seat Mandy was sleeping in. 

Mandy leaves the two boys behind with a soft smile and closes the door behind her.

Mickey’s slow, soft breathing is the only sound in the room, apart from the heart monitor. 

Ian looks at the boy. He feels weird. It’s not like visiting Liam after the coke incident or the multiple trips to check in on his mother. He doesn’t even know Mickey. He is four years younger, so even if they have crossed paths at school before, Ian doesn’t remember him. 

Something still pulled him back towards Mickey and Mandy. He is invested in their well-being without even knowing them. 

“Hey Mickey,” Ian whispers, “I know you don’t know me, but your sister is worried about you and so I am. What happened to you with your dad is messed up. I don’t exactly know what happened between the two of you, but you don’t deserve to be treated this way. Mandy and me hope you’ll get better quickly and wake up.” 

Mickey doesn’t move an inch, but the beating on the heart monitor increases suddenly. 

Ian moves closer to the bed and carefully places his hand on Mickey’s arm. “Fuck. Can you hear me? Well, if you can, I want you to know Mandy and me will take care of Terry for you. I don’t exactly know how yet, but I’ll make sure that he never hurts you ever again.” 

The rapid beeping is the only answer Ian gets.

Mandy enters the room and walks up to Ian, who is now sitting back in the chair, silently looking at Mickey.

“I need to get some sleep, and you don’t look all too fresh yourself. Let’s head home. I’ll be here first thing in the morning in case he wakes up.”

“Okay, yeah sure. I’ll check in after work again. Don’t you have school?” 

Mandy shrugs. “They won’t mind me missing one day. It’s almost Summer break anyway.”

Ian shakes his head but doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to attending high school, so who is he to judge? 

He gets up from his seat and looks back at Mickey one last time before closing the door behind Mandy and himself. 

They walk out of the hospital together, stopping when they reach Ian's car.

"All right I'm heading home. Thanks for checking in Ian, it was very kind of you. You’re the first person that seems to be genuinely invested in us, outside of the occasional family member with a heart." 

"It’s no problem at all. Also, I can give you a ride home, Or you could crash at my place if you want to? I've got my own apartment. It's only a couple of minutes away." 

Mandy narrows her eyes and bites her lip, but doesn’t give him an answer. 

_Okay yeah, it's weird to offer this to a stranger._

"Yeah sorry, that's… That’s weird to offer. It's just… I want you to be safe and not suffer the same fate as your brother. Your father could take his anger out on you and I don’t want to be responsible for that if I could’ve easily prevented it." 

"Okay, say I would stay at your place, because you want to protect me. What do I do in return? Suck your dick or something?" 

Ian almost chokes on his own saliva. The bluntness of her suggestion has him struggling to find the correct way to respond to that.

"Jesus. No. First of all, I'm gay, and second of all, no I would never ask you that. All I need in return is some help to put your dad in jail." 

"Gay, huh?" Mandy smiles at him before continuing. “I’ll come to your place then, I’d rather not take the blame for the inevitable hospital bill. Also, Terry's on parole so we can easily get him back in jail."

_He’s on parole. Piece of cake to get him in jail then._

Ian opens the car door for Mandy, who takes a seat and waits for Ian to enter the driver's seat.

"What about the guns in the living room? When I was at your house I saw a closet full of them. We could call the police and get him for that, right?"

"We could, but then Mickey and I can't eat for a couple of months. All those weapons have their serial numbers filed off and need to be sold. It puts our dinner on the table."

Ian starts the car while thinking the situation over.

“Okay, so we leave the guns. He’s on parole, so this fight should’ve been enough reason to break his parole, but it happened behind closed door. Might have to get him to fight in a public place then.” 

“Oh yeah, and who is going to fight him? You? He’ll kill you.” 

“I can take a beating and my sister used to bang this police officer. I can set it all up.” Ian winks at Mandy, who looks at him with a smirk. 

“Damn, I didn’t take you for a criminal mastermind.” 

“Growing up in my family, I didn’t have much of a choice.” 

“Oh, the joys of being raised in the ghetto.” 

Ian opens up the door to his apartment and let’s Mandy in first. 

She takes a moment to look around before smirking at him. “Not too shabby.” 

Ian chuckles and locks the door behind them.

The apartment is the exact opposite of the house he grew up in. Ian makes sure to keep the space tidy and his furniture in good condition. Of course this is easier when you’re alone than with five other kids, but he still feels pretty proud of the state his home is in. 

Other than the necessary furniture and some small paintings, Ian keeps the clutter to a minimum. 

Fiona had once joked that he could use a feminine touch in here, because it was starting to look like a typical bachelor pad, but Ian likes the minimalism of the space. 

“Do you want a drink before I show you to the guest room?” 

“Yeah, I could use a glass of water, plotting to get your dad in jail is dehydrating.” 

Ian chuckles and walks to the kitchen, where he fills up two glasses and hands one to his guest. 

Mandy sits down on the brown leather couch and Ian takes a seat in one of the armchairs across from her.

She takes a few sips and looks at him with narrowed eyes. 

“So, gay paramedic, is there a special man in your life?” 

Ian chuckles before answering. “No, this _gay paramedic_ doesn’t have a special man in his life at the moment, why?” 

“It’s a big apartment for just one person. Did you break up with someone recently? Did they cheat on you or did you fuck it up?”

Ian chuckles. He can’t believe this girl. She is so blunt and straight to the point, it’s refreshing. 

“You definitely are a curious one, huh?” She shrugs, still awaiting his answer. 

“No, I moved in here with my brother. A couple of months ago he found true love and moved in with her. I can scrape by to pay the rent and still live comfortably, so it’s okay.” 

Mandy nods and smirks again. “Would be easier with a boyfriend though.” 

“I guess. So, do you have a special someone?” 

Mandy scoffs. “No, not really. Mickey and me don’t really have the best frame of reference when it comes to relationships. Terry didn’t shy away from beating mum up. She finally had enough of that around four years ago and left us. I’m not sure where she is.”

“Fuck. Parents can really fuck you up, huh?” 

“Yeah. Mickey fucks every girl in the neighbourhood that lets him and I… Well, let’s just say I am not a saint either.” 

_Mickey fucks every girl in the neighbourhood._ Why does that sentence leave a bad taste in Ian’s mouth?

“Oh…” 

“Are your parents any better?” 

“My mum is bipolar. Left us for weeks or months at a time. Tried to commit suicide only to take us on shopping sprees after. My dad is an alcoholic and an addict. The only thing he cares about is himself and money.”

“Wow. Maybe that’s why you feel so much for Mickey.” 

_What?_

“Feel… What do you mean?”

“Well, I don’t mean feel, just that you want to help him. Or us, I guess.” 

“Yeah, I guess that could be it. Help you guys like I wish someone would’ve helped me and my brothers and sisters.” 

“And here I thought you only did it so I would blow you.” Mandy winks at him and sticks her tongue out before getting up and placing her empty glass on the kitchen counter.

Ian rolls his eyes at her before also walking towards the kitchen and putting the two glasses into the dishwasher. 

He points towards the door of the guest room. “That is the guest room. The bed is freshly made. My younger sister was supposed to come this weekend, but she’s too busy with some boy. I’ll put a toothbrush and a towel on the bed. Do you want to borrow a shirt to sleep in?” 

“That would be great, thanks.” 

Ian grabs the things for Mandy and places them on the bed. He fluffs the pillow and takes a blanket from the cupboard before calling Mandy over. 

“If you need anything else, don't be afraid to ask. There’s an extra blanket here, in case this one is too hot.”

“Thank you, Ian, I’m really grateful.” 

“No problem at all, Mandy, please feel at home and grab whatever you need. You can use the bathroom first. There’s shampoo and shower gel you can use and toothpaste. Call me when you’re done.” 

Mandy gives him a bright smile before disappearing into the bathroom with her towel and toothbrush. 

“Bathroom is all yours, Ian!” 

After a quick shower, Ian dries himself off and wraps a towel around his waist. He brushes his teeth, flosses and combs his hair, before leaving the bathroom and changing into shorts and a t-shirt. 

Ian sits down on his bed, puts his phone on the nightstand and gets under the covers.

The apartment is quiet, something he is quite used to now. 

Ian can’t seem to fall asleep. He is staring at the ceiling in the dark room. 

It’s hot this time of year in Chicago, but that’s not what’s keeping him up at the moment. He keeps replaying the events of the day over and over again in his head. 

All his thoughts are _Mickey, Mickey, Mickey._

_Why? I don’t even know the guy. Why am I so worried about him and why do I want to fix his life?_

Ian invited Mandy over without even thinking about it and planned to take her dad down. 

It’s not unlike him to spontaneously do something, without thinking of the consequences, but he has never taken it this far. 

Even though Ian isn’t sure why he suddenly decided to dedicate his life to saving the Milkovich siblings, he has never been so sure of anything in his entire life. 


	4. Don't let me go

Ian doesn’t like turning to his dad for help, but he feels like it might be his only option right now. 

Frank might know Mickey’s dad, which would give Ian an advantage with information he could provoke him with.

Reluctantly, he walks up the steps towards the front door and uses his key. 

He is immediately hit with the smell of stale beer and cigarette smoke; his dad is home.

“Frank?” 

His dad is sitting on the couch in the living room, watching television. Carl, who is sitting next to him, jumps up at the sight of Ian. “Hey, what are you doing here?” 

Carl hugs his brother and gives him his signature smile. 

“I need advice from Frank.” 

Carl gives him a confused look. Ian can’t blame him. _Who would actually want advice from Frank?_

Frank seems to be just as confused, as he turns around to face his son. “Me? My son, you are coming to get advice from _me?_ I am honored. _”_

Ian rolls his eyes, but takes a seat next to his dad anyway. 

Carl walks into the kitchen and hands both of them a beer. 

“Thanks.” Ian screw the cap of the bottle and takes a sip before clearing his throat. 

“So, Frank, I need your help.” Franks is looking at him with the proudest smile, which is making Ian cringe on the inside, but he soldiers through. “Do you know someone called Terry Milkovich?”

“Of course I know the old bastard. I’m surprised you don't. Why you asking son?” 

“I kind of need him in jail. He’s on parole and I need him to break it. My plan was to fight him, but I need him to throw the first punch. I’m not sure how to provoke him.”

Frank chuckles and takes a few sips before narrowing his eyes at Ian. 

“Easy, son, he hates your kind.”

“My… Kind?”

“Yeah, homo’s, gays, whatever you want to call it. He’s a big old homophobe. Gave me all kinds of shit when I lived together with Whatshisname. Threatened to kill me and everything.” 

Carl is still sporting that same confused expression. “What do you need Terry in jail for?” 

“He nearly beat his son to death. I had to go pick him up with June because he was unconscious. People like that don’t deserve to walk around freely.” 

Ian already feels himself getting angry while saying these words. He isn’t sure if he can hold back once he punches Terry.

“Who, Mickey?”

_Carl knows him?_

“Yeah… How did you know?” 

“He lives a couple of blocks away from us, right? He went to school with us, always getting in some kind of trouble, that kid. I think he shared some classes with Debby. His sister Mandy is my age, weird girl.”

Ian can’t believe it. The family had lived a couple of blocks away and somehow he had never ran into either Mandy or Mickey. Granted, they are a couple of years younger than him, but he used to go to that same school and they probably shop in the same stores as well.

“So Mickey is a troublemaker?” The words have left his lips before Ian knows it. 

Carl furrows his brows. “Yeah, I guess, he’s rarely attends school. When he does, he is always wearing dirty clothes and covered in bruises.” 

Ian nods, but stays silent.

“I’m pretty sure a lot of illegal stuff goes on in that house,” Frank buds in. “There would be enough shit you could get Terry with.” 

“I already discussed that with Mandy. Mickey and her need the money from the gun sales to eat, so I can’t take that route.” 

Frank nods and straightens up on the couch. “Well, fighting it is then. I’ll help you son. We should go to The Alibi. Maybe take one of your friends? That Trevor kid might be good. We can provoke him easily.” 

“You never offer help without asking something in return, so what do you want, Frank?”

Frank fakes a shocked expression for a couple of seconds before smirking. “A hundred bucks?” 

“Ten.”

“Fifty.”

“Five.”

“Okay, Jesus, twenty?” 

“Fine.” 

Frank smiles before downing the rest of his beer and standing up. “Be right back. Putting my fighting pants on.” He points towards his legs before climbing up the stairs. 

“So, what is the real reason you are doing all this?” Carl inquires from his seat. 

“What?”

“I mean, you are prone to saving people, but this case seems different.” 

Ian takes back all the times he called Carl’s IQ low. The fucker is so perceptive; he always seems to know what is going on with everyone. 

“I… I’m not sure, Carl. I just saw two young people in a desperate situation and I felt for them. It made me think about our situation and how it would have been nice if someone would’ve come and saved us.” 

Carl nods and smiles. “Ian to the rescue, sounds good.” 

Ian smiles as well and walks over to his brother to smack him on the head, softly. It’s Ians brotherly way of showing affection to Carl.

“Pretty sure you’re also trying to save the city. Who would’ve thought that after all the melted Barbies and microwaved animals.” 

Carl shrugs before getting up. “Speaking of, duty calls. I’m off to work. Good luck fucking over old Terry.” 

With a salute, his brother leaves out the front door. At the same time, Frank walks up to him in a different pair of jeans he was wearing earlier.

“Let’s go punch some people, son.” 

“I need to call Trevor if he wants to come help and I also have to call Tony so he can be first on the scene and help us out.”

“Okay, don’t mind me if I take a smoke break then.” Frank leaves through the back door. 

Ian takes his phone out of his pocket and dials Trevor’s number. 

“Ian? What’s up?” 

“Hey Trev, are you busy? I need your help to get that guy I told you about in jail.” 

“How am I supposed to help?”

“Not sure… Frank has some kind of plan. Apparently the guy is a raging homophobe.” 

Ian hears some shuffling on the other side of the phone before Trevor answers. “Okay, I can meet you in ten.” 

“Great, Trev, thank you. Meet us in The Alibi.”

“Okay Ian.” 

Ian feels relieved. Even though he isn’t sure what Frank’s plans are, at least Trevor will help them. 

He calls Tony next, who quickly agrees to meet them at The Alibi as well. Apparently he’s tried to get Terry on his probation multiple times, but hasn't succeeded yet. 

Frank and Ian make their way to the Alibi by foot. 

His dad is being extremely friendly, wrapping his arm around Ian while they walk. 

Ian feels uncomfortable with Frank’s arm around his shoulder, but he decides to just go with it. It’s a rare feeling to get fatherly affection from him, even if he knows it’s just about the money. 

Walking into the Alibi, Frank finally lets him go, to sit on his favourite stool.

“Take a seat. We can discuss the plan.” 

“Hey, Terry, have you met my son, Ian?” Terry furrows his brow and looks Ian up and down. 

“Yeah, pretty sure I’ve seen him around the neighbourhood before, why?” 

“Well, I just wanted to introduce you to my son and his boyfriend.” Frank points towards Trevor, who is now holding Ian’s hand. 

Terry’s face goes from white to red in a matter of seconds.

Trevor chooses that exact moment to caress Ian’s cheek and turn his face towards his own, before softly kissing him. 

The kiss is unexpected and weird. Ian isn’t sure what to make of it. Trevor is his friend and they’ve never done anything even remotely sexual, always keeping it professional when Ian visits the youth centre Trevor works at.

He enjoys his company, as a friend, but definitely not in this way. Ian is pretty sure Trevor feels the same way, because he can feel him grinning while he keeps kissing him. 

When Trevor finally lets him go, Ian can see Terry’s face is an even deeper red now. 

Frank has taken a step back, anticipating what is going to happen next. 

Ian feels the punch to his jaw before he even registers it. 

“Bunch of faggots, all of you. Disgusting!” 

Ian lands on the floor with a loud thud. Kevin, who has been informed of the plan, quickly exits the bar to get Tony before the situation takes a turn for the worse.

Terry is just about to smack Ian with his balled fist again, when Tony enters the bars. 

“Terry Milkovich, fighting, huh? You’re finally mine.” 

Trevor helps Ian up with a smirk. “I’m glad I could help you out, but let’s never kiss each other again.”

Ian chuckles while wiping some blood from his cheek. “Agreed, we’re better as friends.” 

“We did good, huh? Told you it will work.” Frank comes up to them with a smug smile, while holding out his right hand.

“Payment for the good work, please.” 

Ian sighs, but takes the money out of his pocket. Fair is fair, after all.

“There you go Frank, use it wisely. Don’t spend it all on drugs and alcohol.”

Frank snickers. “You know who you’re talking to, right?” 

He turns around and takes his seat at the bar again, calling Kevin over immediately. 

Ian shakes his head before turning to Trevor and hugging him, which seems to anger Terry even more than the kiss. 

With his hands bound behind his back and Tony trying to drag him out of the bar, Terry turns around and looks at Ian with fire in his eyes.

“You two will burn in hell, together with my faggot of a son.” He spits the hateful words towards Ian and Trevor. 

  
_Mickey’s gay?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ian finally knows ;)
> 
> Next chapter will be up in the weekend!


	5. Crush

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: violence & homophobic slurs

Mickey finally has the house to himself. Mandy is out grocery shopping and Terry is out selling drugs or doing other illegal shit. 

He doesn’t really care what they are doing. All he cares about is finally having some alone time. The house seems to always be crawling with siblings and cousins, making it hard for Mickey to take care of his  _ needs. _

These last couple of weeks Mickey hasn’t really felt random hookups with girls, so he has to take matters in his own hands. 

A muscular guy in tiny shorts is smiling at Mickey from one of the stuck together, wrinkly pages of the magazine.

He should really somehow acquire new material to do his thing to, but for now this old magazine has to do.

Sitting on the toilet seat, pants around his ankles, Mickey grabs the bottle of lotion he brought with him and squirts a small amount into the open palm of his right hand. He flips the magazine until it lands on a page with a topless blonde girl.

Once he has taken his dick into his hand, and the magazine is firmly placed into his lap, Mickey is trying to focus on the female model on the page in front of him, but he quickly loses interest.

_ What the fuck is wrong with me? I like girls, this should turn me on. _

He isn’t sure why, but he goes back to the page with the muscular guy. Mickey’s eyes follow the veins on the guy’s arms, the lines on his abdomen and-  _ fuck.  _

_ I’m not gay, what the fuck am I doing? _

Mickey would never admit it out loud, but this guy is doing more for Mickey than the blonde woman on the other page.

His arm keeps rhythmically moving, while his eyes are glued to the bulge in those tight, red shorts. 

Why is he more into this guy? It doesn’t make any sense. Milkoviches aren’t gay, his dad told him so. 

Also, he’s had sex with loads of girls and liked it. Other than the jerking off to this dude, he hasn’t really given sex with a man a thought.

What would that be like? Thinking about having a dick in his mouth, hitting the back of his throat and swallowing a warm load, only makes his hand go faster.

Big, strong arms caressing him and holding him… Kissing him and licking into his mouth. Making him feel good, filling him up completely...

_ Fuck. _

Mickey is getting so into it, that he doesn’t notice the sounds in the house and only realizes too late that Terry is home. 

He barges into the bathroom that Mickey, apparently, forgot to lock. 

Terry looks at Mickey with a grin, until he glances down at the magazine and doesn’t see that he expected.

His brows furrow and his face turns a bright red. 

"No son of mine is a fucking faggot. You filthy degenerate." His voice echoes through the bathroom.

"I wasn't-" Mickey tries, but he knows he has been caught red-handed. Terry had seen him with that magazine in one hand and his dick in the other. There was no way around it now. 

"Filthy fucking faggot. You don't deserve to live under my roof if you do such disgusting things to yourself." 

“I’m not gay. I was just…” 

_ I was just jacking off to a dude. There’s no saving this. _

Terry moves towards him, but Mickey ducks and slips past him, into his bedroom. 

He barely has any time to pull his shorts back up when he hears Terry walking up behind him. Mickey is already flying through the air before he even registers Terry's hands on his back. 

Falling face down in the living room, Mickey tries to find something to pull himself up by, but he fails when he feels a blow to his head.

Mickey rolls sideways just as his dad has his fist high up in the air to smack into him again.

He gets up on wobbly feet and makes it halfway across the living room when Terry grabs him by the neck.

The air gets knocked out of his lungs by the sudden grip on his throat. 

Mickey needs to get free. He punches his dad in the ribs a few times before he finally lets him go. 

"You can't be a son of mine, you faggot. You filthy fucking cocksmoker. It can't be true. Milkovich's aren't like that, we don't fuck-"

Terry's spit filled speech gets interrupted by a screaming Mandy.

Mickey seizes the opportunity to hit Terry in the face with both fists, before he returns the favour. 

A sharp pain shoots through his jaw, matching the feeling he already has in his nose and his ribs.

Another blow to his head has Mickey landing on the coffee table. He hears a creaking of wood and Mandy yelling something, but everything sounds blurry.

He feels a dull pain in his ribs and his hand reaches up towards a painful spot on his forehead. It feels warm and wet.

Mickey feels a few more stabs of pain shooting through his body before everything fades to black.

He isn’t sure how much time has passed, but suddenly Mickey feels a warmth spread throughout his arm. It’s a weird, unfamiliar feeling that he can’t seem to place. 

Except for the warm feeling, Mickey hears voices break through the darkness. 

It feels like he is suddenly awoken from a deep sleep.

His eyes don’t seem to want to open yet and he isn’t sure how to move his limbs. He’s pretty sure he is giving out the orders to his body, but it doesn’t seem to want to react. 

A familiar voice is talking to some male voice Mickey can’t seem to place. The familiar voice belongs to a woman. 

_ Is that Mandy? And why does that male voice sound so familiar?  _ He feels like he has heard the voice before.

Mickey keeps trying to open his eyes. 

All of the sudden, his eyes seem to get the message and he slowly opens them, only to be met with the beaming, bright hospital light. 

After blinking a few times, he slowly gets adjusted to the light. 

Mickey looks around the room. Apparently he is in a hospital. Several wires seem to be attached to him and he hears an annoying beeping sound to his left. 

He spots Mandy slouching in a chair. 

Some guy with a freckled face surrounded by orange hair is sitting next to her. 

The guy turns to look at him, wide-eyed and smiling. 

Mickey spots him quickly retreating his hand from Mickey’s arm before turning to Mandy.

“Mandy! Mandy! He’s awake!” 

_ What the actual fuck? _

"Gallagher?" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for this chapter... The next one will be a whole lot sweeter (:


	6. Sweet

_Why am I in a hospital? And who is that guy sitting next to Mandy?_

He feels like he just woke up from a dream. Or well, more like a nightmare. Terry was beating the crap out of him after he'd caught him jerking off to some guy. 

_What a stupid dream. Like I would actually do something like that..._

_Fuck._ His ribs hurt with every breath and every movement. 

Mickey carefully pinches himself before blinking a couple of times, but the room stays the same, and so does the red headed man at his side.

Mickey looks at the two people sitting next to his bed.

The redhead is staring off into the distance and Mandy is looking at something on her phone.

They haven't noticed that he is awake yet.

Mickey shifts a little in the bed, grabbing the redheads attention, whose eyes grow wide when Mickey looks at him, yelling out to Mandy as if she isn’t sitting right next to him. 

She gets up from her chair and moves closer to him, with the unknown guy in tow. 

The look on Mandy's face is one of surprise and pure joy. Mickey is glad to see her as well.

Mickey squeezes his eyes and registers who the red headed guy actually is. 

_What the actual fuck? Is that…?_

“Gallagher?” 

Green eyes get even wider. The guy opens his mouth and closes it again before coming even closer to Mickey’s bed.

“How do you... How do you know me?” 

How is he supposed to answer that? He isn’t telling Ian that he was his first guy crush. Or first crush overall if Mickey is honest. Ian probably has no idea who he is, so that would just be plain creepy. 

Why is he even here? Why did he have his hand on Mickey’s arm? Was that the warm feeling that awoke him? Nothing is making sense to Mickey. 

“Uhm… School. I think I saw you at school a couple of times. Why am I in a hospital?” 

Mandy walks around the bed and grabs his hand. “It was Terry, he…Well, he- you don’t remember what happened? Fuck, he doesn't have brain damage right? That wasn't on the chart."

She has a panicked look on her face, but Ian, who is standing next to her, calmly puts an arm on her shoulder. "No brain damage, but he did just wake up from a coma. Give him some time." 

_Brain damage? Coma? What the fuck is going on?_

“What the actual fuck are you two on about?”

_Wait… The dream I had. It must not have been a dream then. Terry actually found out. He found me like that and punished me for it. I was actually doing… that. So he will definitely come back to kill me._

The pain in his ribs makes sense now. There's also this throbbing feeling in his brain. _Did I hit my head?_

Mickey feels Mandy squeeze his hand, snapping him back to reality. 

“I do remember, yeah, fuck.” Mickey wiggles his hand out of Mandy’s grip and rubs his eyes. 

He really hopes they don't question Terry's reason to go after him. The fear that he might still come after him stays. Mandy should at least know that. 

“He will definitely kill me if he gets the chance, finish the job.” 

“Don’t worry about that, Mickey, we took care of him.” Ian smiles at Mickey while saying this, but Mickey doesn’t get the joke. They killed Terry and they’re relaxed about it? 

“You took- you took _care_ of him?”

Mandy giggle before nodding. _What the fuck is wrong with these two?_

“No, not like that, Mickey. Ian made him break his probation, so he’s back in prison for a year at least. Knowing him, it will be longer though.” 

Okay, that makes more sense. Mickey wouldn’t mind Terry being dead at all, but not by the hands of his sister and his former crush. 

But why would Ian do this for him? Mickey’s pretty sure the guy doesn’t know him. They’ve never spoken a word to each other when he was in school. 

“Thanks, I guess. But… Why?” 

Ian looks away and bites his lip, before looking back at Mickey. “I was on call when Mandy called 911.” 

“On call?”

“Yeah, I am a paramedic. Me and June, my coworker, were sent out after Mandy called 911 You were already unconscious by the time Terry left and Mandy could call. I am glad she did, because there's a real chance you might not have survived otherwise."

_Ian is a paramedic? Ian saved me. The first person I ever had a crush on saved my life._

_And thank God for Mandy. Terry could've killed her as well, because this trip to the hospital will probably not be cheap without insurance._

"Shit… Thank you both for saving my life." 

Mandy smiles and so does Ian for a short momentt, before returning his face to a serious state.

“Terry got you good. There was blood everywhere and you were covered in bruises. He beat you so hard that you got a concussion, and you went into a coma for four days. He slammed you through the coffee table." 

"It was an ugly piece of shit anyway." Mickey is desperately trying to lighten the mood, but Ian's face stays the same.

"Mickey… Seeing a young guy like that, by the hands of his own dad, it fucked me up. I wanted to protect the both of you and the only way of doing that was by making sure that Terry couldn’t get to you two. At least for the time being.” 

Mickey is really confused; his brain hurts from all the information. Or maybe from the concussion he apparently has; he isn't sure.

_Why is Ian so nice to us?_

“So… You wanted to help me even though you don’t know me?” 

Ian nods and gives him a soft smile. 

“Something in me told me I should. Your situation reminded me of my own childhood and I know I would’ve been happy with someone helping us out, so I don’t know, I just went for it.” 

_Fuck, this guy is unbelievable._

Mickey used to crush on him for his appearance, even though he didn’t want to admit it to himself, he did. Now he can see that this guy actually has a great personality as well. 

Don’t get him wrong, Ian still looks great. Better even than when he was in his teens and Mickey used to stare at him from a distance. 

He’s gotten much broader, with big arm muscles and shoulders. His hair is a little longer now and styled differently; a style that fits him well. His face has also changed. It's less chubby and more defined.

Mickey is glad that, even though his face had changed, he seems to be just as freckled as when he was younger. His face is covered in those beautiful spots and the parts of his arms, that Mickey can see, are covered in them as well. 

When he notices Ian tracing his eyes and smiling at him, Mickey knows he’s fucked. 

He averts his eyes and focuses on Mandy, who is staring at the two of them with a grin on her face. 

_What the actual fuck is going on?_

Mickey feels exposed. He’s lying there with two people on both his side, staring at him and judging his every move.

He wants to escape. He needs his space and time to think about everything that happened and all his mixed emotions. He needs these two off his ass. 

“Shouldn’t you guys get a nurse in here or something? Tell them that I'm awake? Seems like pretty important information if you ask me...” 

Mandy’s eyes widen. “Fuck, yeah I totally forgot.” She gets up and quickly walks into the hallway, leaving Mickey alone with Ian. 

Mickey can’t look at Ian. He expertly stares at the wall, patiently waiting for Mandy to come back with the nurse. 

Ian's breathing is the only sound Mickey can focus on. He is not too far away from him, maybe an arm's distance. He could reach out and touch him, thank him again for saving his life. Maybe this time with a hug.

Whenever he is out of this shithole, he should definitely buy Ian some chocolates or some shit to really thank him for saving his life and getting rid of Terry, at least for the time being. 

Mickey will have to figure out how to be safe after Terry comes back, but that's a problem for another time.

He has other issues to focus on and think about. Mickey really hopes that the nurse will send Ian and Mandy away, so he will have a moment to arrange his thoughts and let his brain rest. 

The nurse that Mandy brought to his room seems to have read his mind, because she asks Ian and Mandy to take a seat in the waiting room while they do tests on Mickey.

Mandy promises to wait for him and gives him a kiss on the cheek. She's never done that before, but Mickey is happy with the small token of affection. 

Ian awkwardly waves at him and sweetly smiles before leaving the room as well. 

The tests have worn Mickey out and before he knows it, he has fallen asleep. 

_Mickey is at school, secretly smoking a cigarette behind a wall. He's not sure what his teachers would do if they found him, one of their thirteen year old students, smoking._

_On one hand the school is a shithole, but on the other hand the teachers do seem to care about the students._

_A guy suddenly catches his attention. Fiery red hair and a cigarette between his lips. Freckles cover every inch of his face._

_He's standing a couple of metres away, talking to another guy._

_Mickey suddenly gets an unfamiliar feeling in his stomach when he looks at the redhead. His stomach tightens, like a nervous feeling, but different._

_He doesn't know what to do with the feeling, but he can't seem to look away. He keeps staring at the guy, who doesn't even seem to notice him._

_Mickey's sure that the guy is older than him. He hasn't noticed him before this day, but now suddenly he can't seem to keep his attention on anything else._

_During the remainder of that school year, he spots the boy with orange hair everywhere around the school._

_Mickey seems to be enchanted by him. He isn't sure what to do with the feeling. He isn't even sure what the feeling is, but everytime he sees him, time seems to stop around them. Like the red haired boy is the only other person in the world._

_A couple months after discovering the beautiful boy, Mickey learns his name. Ian Gallagher. Apparently his brother, Carl, is in the same class as Mandy._

_The two boys look nothing alike and Carl doesn't have the same effect on Mickey as his brother does._

_Ian's sister, Debby, is in the same English class as Mickey. Mickey tries to sit next to her, but she gives him a weird look and takes a seat next to a blond girl._

_The next year Ian is gone. Probably off to college or learning some trade, Mickey isn't sure. Either way, he decides to take his attention back to girls and quickly loses his virginity._

_It doesn't give him the same feeling as what he felt when he was looking at the redhead._

_All of his relationships are fleeting. One night or a couple, but never anything serious or longer. He gets the satisfaction he wants, but not the love he needs._

_He doesn't look at boys anymore, only occasionally in his magazine._

_Terry said Milkoviches aren't gay. When his cousin Sandy came out to her parents, they tossed her to the streets._

_So Mickey hides that part of himself well. Is there even anything to hide?_

_Mickey isn't gay, so there's definitely nothing to hide._

"Hey, welcome back to the world of the living. You have slept through the afternoon and the whole night." Mandy is sweetly smiling at him.

Mickey looks around the room. He doesn't spot Ian; a feeling of disappointment washing over him. 

_What the actual fuck is this shit? I shouldn't give a fuck about the fact that he isn't here._

It's like his crush has suddenly returned after not having seen this guy for four years. It's weird.

"Where uhm- where is Gallagher?" He is doing his best to sound uninterested, but he wants to know. 

"He's at work at the moment. He stayed here the whole night and I took over this morning. He's a really good guy, we're lucky to have him as a friend." 

_Ian was here the whole night?_

Mickey doesn't know what to do with the information, other than being happy that Ian left for work, instead of having enough of him.

"That's nice of him. Wait, don't you have school?" 

"Summer holiday, silly. I have more than enough time to care for you. Ian also took the next two weeks off to help around the house. You'll need some time to let that head and those ribs heal."

_What has he done to deserve Ian? This guy is even more amazing than he originally thought._

"That's- that's great." Mickey isn't sure how to show his gratitude, but Mandy knows. They've never been the ones to be affectionate or show each other their true feelings.

With what happened now and their dad gone, they might become more honest with each other and closer as well. Mickey would like that, but expressing this is hard for him.

A smile will have to do.

Mandy smiles back and takes his hand again; a gesture Mickey's gotten accustomed to. It gives him a warm feeling inside.

He softly squeezes back.

"How did Ian get Terry back in jail? You guys never told me the full story."

"Oh, Mickey, it was magnificent. Ian got his dad and his best friend Trevor to help him out. You know how dad hates gay people right?"

Mickey nods.

"Well, Frank, Ian's dad, introduced Ian as his son and Trevor as his boyfriend. Then they kissed in front of him, which made Terry flip. He punched Ian in the jaw."

_Ian kissed his best friend? Just to get Terry agitated?_

"Ian is so smart. He got a police officer that's acquainted with his family to be at the bar as well, so he immediately got Terry in handcuffs before he could hurt Ian or Trevor any more."

"Jesus, what a plan. But it did work out I guess."

"Yeah it was very well-planned. And Ian probably didn't mind kissing Trevor to get Terry in jail." 

_Why did Mandy wink at that last part?_

"He- what do you mean?" 

"He told me he's gay, so he probably enjoyed getting that homophobic prick in jail." 

  
_Ian is gay._ Mickey is truly fucked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh... (:


	7. Affection

Mickey hadn't really thought about Ian after he had left school. Occasionally he would see a redhead on the street and his heart would skip a beat, but he would quickly notice it wasn't him. 

When Mickey saw him again that afternoon, the feelings he had as a teen came rushing back.

Ian had never been this close to him. He had never been so close that Mickey could count the freckles on his cheeks and see the golden specks in his green eyes.

His eyebrows, which have the same colour as his hair, are furrowed in concentration while he inspects Mickey's head. 

Ian is so close now, that Mickey can actually smell him. He doesn't smell like cologne, like he had expected. It's more of a warm vanilla scent. It fills Mickey's nostrils and makes his insides melt.

The fact that Ian is so close to him, makes his heart skip a beat in his chest.

Ian steps back and gives him a quick smile. "Looks good, Mickey, you'll be running around wreaking havoc in no time."

"If you would feel what my ribs feel, you'd disagree. Can't even get my own clothes on properly." 

"Let me help." 

Mickey thinks about for a few seconds. It would be great to get rid of this stupid hospital gown, but it also meant being shirtless in front of his former crush.

His former  _ gay _ crush. 

His stomach seems to tighten even further and there's this weird tingling feeling in his chest. 

Ian is a medical professional, so even though he is gay, this isn't something sexual for him, right?

As if Ian could read his mind, he mutters out: "No need to be ashamed Mick, I've already seen most of your chest when I checked on your ribs. Come sit up now." 

Mickey shrugs before extending his arms so Ian can reach around and pull the gown off.

Never has Mickey been more thankful about wearing underwear, because he would definitely not want to sit there completely naked with Ian looking at him.

_ Nothing gay about this right? I don't need to worry. It's just a friend helping out a friend. Or more like a professional even.  _ He isn't too sure, but at least he knows there's no reason to worry. 

After hanging the hospital attire on a hook by the door, Ian walks back to the bed and starts rummaging around in the bag Mandy had dropped off that morning.

She had gone home to take a much needed nap after that.

Mickey feels exposed like this. He catches Ian glancing at him once, before quickly averting his eyes and focussing on the bag again.

Ian looks like one of those ancient Greek marble statues, sculpted with great attention to the muscles, whereas he looks like a scrawny kid that ate one too many doughnuts. 

The moment when Ian glances at him still makes Mickey blush. He hopes Ian doesn't notice. Why is he even blushing? He's been shirtless around other men before. The locker room after gym class or baseball training, the public pool… He shouldn't be blushing about this.

Looking at Ian checking out the clothing items in the bag, Mickey really hopes there's at least one decent, stain-free shirt in there. 

Ian pulls a dark blue shirt out of the bag. Mickey has never seen that shirt. Mandy must have had the same thought that just went through his head and gotten him some new clothes.

Mickey thanks the gods for his sister thinking ahead. 

He winces when he puts his arms up and notices how carefully Ian pulls the t-shirt over his head, like he is so fragile that he would break at a single touch.

Ian does touch him though. When the shirt is halfway down his body, Mickey feels Ian's fingers glide over his stomach. 

It's probably accidental and Ian might not have even noticed it, but Mickey's skin feels like it's on fire.

The small gasp that escapes his lips doesn't go unnoticed.

Ian doesn't look at Mickey, but his mouth is definitely pulled into a smug smirk.

Mickey is torn between the need to either kiss those lips or punch them.

_ Kiss him? What the fuck. _ Was that one single touch actually arousing him? 

_ Aroused from being touched by another man? Fuck that. _

Ian doesn't seem to notice his internal struggle and asks in a serious manner: "Do you need help with your pants as well?"

_ And have you laugh at what's going on in my underwear? Sure, why not. _

"You'd like that, huh?"

Ian scrunches his eyebrows and shrugs. "I just want to help, in case your ribs hurt too much to bend down." 

_ Fuck. Why is he always so nice. The only thing I seem to be able to do is be mean and all he does is be patient and nice.  _

_ I can definitely not let him help me with my pants though. He will think it happened because of him. Because those fingers touched my stomach. It's definitely not because of that. _

It was probably because he hadn't had a release in so many days, making everything more sensitive than usual. Yeah, that's the reason, definitely not Ian. 

"I'll be okay. Turn around, don't want you staring at my junk,  _ faggot."  _

The word is out of his mouth before he could even think about it. 

His dad used it so many times that it doesn't phase Mickey anymore, but the look on Ian's face makes him wish he could turn back the time and swallow that word back in. 

"I'm- I didn't mean it. Sorry." 

Ian stays silent and turns around, facing the door.

Mickey bites his lip and decides to keep his mouth shut, before he says something stupid again.

He pulls a pair of new, black sweatpants out of the bag and carefully puts them on, wincing at the protest his ribs give him.

At least his dick got the memo of the situation. If it had only gotten it earlier, Mickey wouldn't have uttered that hurtful word to Ian.

If he hadn't been sporting an extremely obvious hard-on, Mickey wouldn't have minded Ian helping him. He was just too embarrassed to be found out and now he fucked up. 

Ian is still standing facing the other way, so Mickey walks up to him and puts a hand on his arm, prompting Ian to turn around and face him.

"I'm sorry I said that word. It's just- growing up with Terry… I have heard and said it so many times that it has lost its meaning, but I know that's not the case for everybody. Mandy told me about you, and you probably don't like hearing the word. So, again, I'm sorry."

Saying sorry is not something Mickey is used to, but somehow Ian pulls it out of him. He deserves to hear these words, because Mickey actually  _ is  _ sorry. He fucked up and he needs to make it right.

Ian's face softens and, before he knows it, Mickey is being pulled into a very soft, and very careful hug. 

His first reaction is to fight this physical form of affection but being engulfed in those big, strong arms, it feels safe, like nothing could hurt him as long as Ian just holds him.

So Mickey doesn't fight it, instead he gives in and wraps his own arms around Ian's back. 

"It's okay, no need to apologize." Ian whispers the words into Mickey's neck, making the hairs there stand up straight. 

What has he ever done in his life to deserve this person? Ian is incredible and he deserves to know it.

He nuzzles his face in Ian's shoulder and inhales the scent that is Ian. 

Being like this with another man is so unlike him, but Mickey knows no one can see them here. For some reason he also knows Ian would never take advantage of him and that he can trust him. 

The hug seems to go on for an eternity and Mickey wouldn't mind staying like this forever, but he has to tell Ian how grateful he is, so he slowly pulls back and looks Ian in the eyes.

"I wanted to say this earlier, but… Thank you. Thank you for everything. For saving my life and making sure I was safe. For taking care of Terry and for checking up on me." 

Ian smiles his brightest smile at him, but stays quiet, letting Mickey finish the sentiment.

"I still don't fully understand why, but I am really grateful. It lessens the burden on Mandy as well."

Mickey isn't sure if Ian knows how hard this was for him. Saying thank you, just like  _ I'm sorry, _ isn't a Milkovich thing. He's pretty sure he's never even heard Terry say the words. 

Ian seems to know though, judging by the look in his eye.

_ What even is that look?  _ It looks like adoration. What the fuck is Mickey supposed to do with that? 

He pulls back even further and Ian let's him go, letting his arms hang awkwardly by his sides.

"It's okay, Mick." 

The words are barely louder than a whisper, but Mickey catches them.

Mickey absolutely adores being called  _ Mick _ by Ian. No one else has ever done it. It's either 

Mikhailo or Mickey, never just Mick. 

He can't help himself, he steps forward and places his arms around Ian's lower back and his face on his chest. 

Ian quickly responds by wrapping his arms around Mickey's shoulders again.

This is another thing that Mickey isn't used to, but if feels so good. He can't remember being hugged ever since his mother left them. Mandy would occasionally throw an arm around him, but it doesn't feel like  _ this _ .

He could really kiss Ian right now.

_ What the fuck, I'm not kissing a dude! _

Mickey suddenly pulls back, making Ian scrunch his eyebrows together. 

_ Fuck, did I hurt him again? Why does that feels worse than admitting to wanting to kiss him? What the fuck is going on? _

"It's uhm… it's my ribs. They hurt a little." 

Ian let's out a small gasp. "Fuck, sorry, I didn't even think of that." 

Mickey smiles at Ian's easy change. "No worries."

He still feels bad about reacting that way, but at least Ian isn't hurt. 

Mickey has a whole lot to think about in regards to Ian. Everything's so confusing, he isn't sure what to make of all his mixed emotions.

After checking out of the hospital, Ian and Mickey make their way to Ian's car.

Ian had promised the nurse that Mickey will get all the rest he needs and that they will take good care of him.

Hearing Ian say those words, made Mickey blush again.

"You'll finally be able to sleep in your own bed." Ian says with a smile while opening the car door for Mickey. 

_ Like I can't do that myself. _

He keeps the words to himself and gets in, shutting the door himself, while Ian gets into the driver's seat.

Ian had promised to drive him home, get some groceries and cook dinner for him and Mandy. The next two weeks would be dedicated solely to Mickey's wellbeing. 

All Mickey can do is glance at Ian and smile to himself. He's very thankful that this guy, practically a stranger, has thrown his own life overboard to take care of him. Hopefully he can return the favour some day.

"So, what is your family like? You mentioned that you recognized our situation. You don't have to talk about it. Just curious." 

"Oh, I don't mind talking about it." Ian looks at him and smiles before focussing on the road again. 

"My mother is bipolar. High highs and low lows. My dad likes her the best when she is off her meds, but that just makes her an irresponsible mess. My father, Frank, isn't much better. He's an alcoholic and an addict and all he cares about is himself and money." 

"Not the best role models either huh?" 

"No… Definitely not. It was my brother Lip that got me out of there. He went to college and moved into an apartment close by. He offered me to move in, because it's a two bedroom apartment. I got out of that house as fast as I could and started the training to be an EMT." 

"Lip sounds like a good guy. Did you leave immediately after high school?"

"Yeah, how did you know?"

_ Because I never saw you around after that. _

"Lucky guess. Are you still in that same apartment? Is it far from here?"

"Yeah I still am, and no it's not far away. Couple minutes by car. Mandy's already been there."

_ Why did he take Mandy there? _

"It's not what you think. She needed a place to rest and Terry was still free so I didn't want her to be alone with him in your house. Two bedrooms, remember?" Ian winks at him quickly.

"I didn't think… Nevermind. You mentioned your brother Lip. I also know Debby and Carl. How many of you Gallaghers are there out there?"

Ian snickers.

"Fiona is my oldest sister, Lip is my older brother, then comes me, Debby, Carl and Liam is the youngest." 

"Big family huh? Mine's like that too. Whole bunch of siblings and cousins coming in and out of my life." 

"Huh? I thought it was only you and Mandy?' 

"My older brothers have all either moved out or are serving jail time. It's only me and Mandy in that house now."

"It's a lot huh, with so many people in one house. Never a moment to yourself." 

"Yup… So… Do you still live with Lip or someone else?"

Mickey's really trying to not sound desperate to know if this man is single or not, but he's pretty sure he's failing at that.

Ian snickers before shaking his head. "Lip moved in with his girlfriend, so it's just me there now. Living the bachelor life." 

Mickey's relieved sigh probably doesn't go unnoticed either.

It's not that he doesn't want Ian to have someone serious in his life, he's just curious is all.

Mickey sees Ian bite his lip before quickly glancing at him.

"Do you know the reason why Terry beat you up? Or was it without reason?" 

"I uhm…" 

_ Should I tell him? If there's someone who would understand, it would be Ian. But what is there even to tell? He isn't gay, just curious. _

_ Should he actually tell Ian about the exact situation. No, that would be incredibly awkward. Fuck that. _

"I think he was just angry and took it out on me, because I was the only one home."

Ian gives him a weird look, but then softly smiles to himself.

_ Did Terry tell him something? Fuck, fuck, fuck. _


	8. Starry Eyes

Mandy opens the door with a wide smile.

"You're looking refreshed!" Ian chirps before walking into the Milkovich house with Mickey's bag. 

"Where can I put this?" 

Mickey panics. His room is a mess and he definitely doesn't want Ian to see it. There's already an age gap that is making him feel like a kid compared to this tree of a man, but if he'd see his messy room, Ian would definitely like him less.

_Why do I seem to care so much about if he likes me or not?_

Before Mickey can say anything, Mandy points to the door leading towards Mickey's room. With a small wink directed to him, she walks into the kitchen. 

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit._

Mickey tries to run to his room, but Ian is closer to the door and already inside before Mickey's aching body has made its way over. 

Mandy had cleaned his room. Sure, it was still a shitty room, but Mandy had made sure that all his clothing was neatly folded and put into the cupboards.

His collection of drugs and other illegal things meant for sale where stashed away and his bed was freshly made.

Mickey makes a mental note to thank Mandy and get her something she likes from the store when he is feeling better.

Ian puts the bag of clothes down on Mickey's bed and looks around the room.

"Nice posters." He says with a smile, before leaving the room again and walking up to Mandy in the kitchen.

"I'm heading off to the Kash and Grab for some groceries and then I'll cook you two dinner. Be back in about 20." 

"Thanks Ian. Here's some money for food."

"It's okay, I got it."

"No, I insist. I'm starting that summer job tomorrow and when Mickey's on his feet again, we have shit around the house to sell for some cash. So please, take it."

Mickey sees her practically shoving the money in Ian's hand, who gives in and turns around.

He smiles at Mickey before leaving through the front door.

"I'm going to lie down for a bit. Thank you very much for cleaning my room." 

"No worries Mickey, I didn't want you to look bad in front of Ian." She says with a wink. 

Mickey is starting to get annoyed by her weird looks and gestures, but he is too tired to put up a fight, so he just shakes his head and walks back into the room. 

He takes off his pants and shirt and lets himself fall on the freshly made bed.

He awakens to the smell of fresh food.

_How long have I been asleep?_

After carefully stretching, minding his ribs in the process, Mickey wanders out of his bedroom. 

Ian is busy mixing some things in a bowl.

The words _what's cooking, good looking?_ pop into his head, but he keeps quiet. 

_What the actual fuck is wrong with me?_

He decides to go for a safer, less gay, option. "Smells good, what you making?"

"I've made lasagna, which I'm heating up in the oven at the moment and now I'm just mixing a salad. Do you like tomatoes?" 

Mickey nods and stares at Ian while he chops up some tomatoes and throws them in the bowl. 

"The lasagna will take… two more minutes. Mandy isn't joining us for dinner, because she's out with a friend, so it's just us." 

"Friend? What friend?" 

"Well, she's helping Debby out with some boy trouble and then they're grabbing dinner together. I hope you don't mind eating with me." 

Ian gives Mickey a once over before raising one eyebrow. 

Mickey feels the heat creep up his chest. He forgot to get dressed and he is currently standing there in his underwear.

"I, uh… I better get dressed." 

Having Ian look at him like _that_ didn't feel bad at all. Mickey is feeling all kinds of confused while thinking back at everything that has gone down between them.

He rummages through his drawers and finds even more new clothes. A black, sleeveless top and grey shorts will do. 

Mickey quickly pulls them on and walks back into the kitchen. 

Ian has already served the lasagna and the salad onto two plates. 

"Wanna sit at the dinner table or in front of the tv?"

"A meal likes this deserves a dinner table." 

This time it's Ian's turn to blush.

"I hope you'll like it. It's my favourite recipe. Shit ton of cheese." 

Mickey waits for the lasagna to cool down and looks over at Ian, who is sitting across from him. He is cutting his lasagna in smaller pieces with a small smile on his lips. 

"What a crazy way to meet someone, huh?" Ian says without looking up. 

"Yeah. Technically I already knew of your existence, just not the other way around."

"I don't know how… maybe because of the age difference. We didn't really hang out in the same circles. Carl and Debby do know you, but we've never really talked about kids in our class."

"I also wasn't at school all that much, but I did see you at the Kash as well a couple of times or around the neighbourhood." 

"Really? I think I do stand out in this neighbourhood with this hair." Ian points at his locks with a grin on his face.

_Yeah and your beautiful, freckled face, with that gorgeous smile and those bright, green eyes and damn, that body… Fuck, stop._

Mickey laughs before trying the first piece of lasagna. "Damn, this shit is really good, Ian." 

Ian's smile is magnificent. His whole face is smiling, and there's a sparkle in his eyes. 

Mickey could look at this face all day, every day. 

After finishing dinner and watching some tv together, Mickey is feeling tired again. His body is worn out, even though he hasn't done much. 

He keeps yawning, which prompts Ian to get up and command him to bed. 

If he gets up, Ian will leave and Mickey will be alone again. He doesn't want Ian to leave, but he is very tired and needs to rest.

So he gets up and walks into the bathroom to brush his teeth and get ready for bed, while Ian heads to the kitchen with their abandoned plates. 

Mickey quickly gets ready, eager to spend at least a little more time with Ian before he heads home.

Why does Ian even have to go home? If he is here to care for Mickey for two weeks, wouldn't it be better if he'd stay here? 

He could sleep on the spare mattress they have in Terry's room. Ian could pull it over to Mickey's room and sleep on the floor there.

Would it be weird to ask that? Maybe Ian would get the wrong idea. Mickey doesn't want him to think he's gay or something. 

But, then again, driving back and forth every day seems like a waste of time. He should just ask. 

_What if he says no? What if I embarrass the hell out of himself?_

_Fuck it._

He heads out into the kitchen, where Ian is finishing up with the dishes. 

With a nervous feeling in his stomach, he decides to just go for it. 

Ian has an expectant look on his face while drying his hands and facing Mickey. 

"Ian, wouldn't it be better… You know, with the travelling and everything… I mean, that's just a waste of time right? And, like- do you want to sleep here tonight? We could use the spare mattress and put it on the ground next to my bed. Only if you want to of course."

Ian has an enormous grin on his face. _Is that good or bad?_

"Thought you'd never ask. I already packed a bag, just in case, but I didn't want to invite myself, that would've just been rude. I wouldn't mind sleeping on the couch." 

_He'd already expected it? He's packed a bag?_

"No!" Mickey didn't mean to yell it out loud. He feels his face redden at Ian's raised brow.

"I mean, I'd feel safer with you close to me. You know, in case something happens. Also, the couch is very uncomfortable." 

Ian grins and Mickey mentally slaps himself.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. I'll go get my bag then. Mandy texted me while you were in the bathroom. She'll be here in about an hour."

"We'll probably be fast asleep by then.

After Ian leaves out the front door, Mickey walks into his bedroom and grabs some linen. Ian will have to do the heavy lifting with the mattress, because his ribs won't let Mickey do that at the moment.

Ian walks into Mickey's bedroom and puts his bag on the ground with a soft smile on his face. 

Mickey points him in the right direction and before he knows it, Ian is back with the mattress. 

While Ian heads to the bathroom to get ready for their sleepover, Mickey makes Ian's bed. He winces at the pain, but soldiers through. It's the least he can do for this guy that has helped him so much.

"What are you doing? Get into bed, I'll take care of this." Ian practically pushes Mickey off the mattress and takes over. 

Mickey quickly gets rid of his shirt and shorts again, before getting under the covers with a pout as he looks on as Ian finishes making the bed. 

Ian looks over at him and giggles. He also strips down to his underwear before walking over to the light switch. 

Mickey takes it all in. Every muscle, every line, the tattoos on his side and back. He'd never thought that Ian had tattoos, but they fit him and look great on his body.

He can't help but stare at those abs. It's not only his arms that are toned, his stomach looks very good. _Sexy._

 _What the fuck is going on with me._ Mickey pinches his arm, in the hope that his weird thoughts go away.

When Ian's eyes meet his, he quickly looks away.

"Should I turn it off?" 

"Yeah." His voice comes out hoarse, having just been caught staring at the other guy's abs. 

Ian turns the light off. Mickey hears him getting into his own bed and adjusting the blanket. 

"Good night Mick."

There it is again, _Mick._ He's not sure what it is, but the pet name gives him a tingling feeling in his body; it's a different feeling than what he got from watching Ian standing there without a shirt on. 

It's a warmer feeling, but Mickey isn't sure exactly what it is. He does know that it's a feeling he enjoys and would like to keep feeling.

Even though Mickey felt very tired earlier, he doesn't seem to be able to fall asleep. He keeps staring into the dark and listening to Ian's soft breathing next to him.

"Ian? You still awake?" 

"Yeah."

"I can't sleep."

"What can I do for you, Mick?"

"Is the mattress comfortable?"

"It's alright, don't worry about it. Can I help you somehow?"

Mickey doesn't know what has suddenly gotten into him, but he knows he needs Ian closer to him right now. He has already hugged the dude and no one came to kill him, so this could probably not hurt either, right?

"Could you come up here?" 

"What do you mean? Do you want me to sleep next to you?" 

"Yeah, if you don't mind. Might help me sleep better." 

"Sure, yeah, if you want that." 

Mickey hears some shuffling before he feels a warm body lying down next to him.

"How…? I don't want to hurt you." 

Mickey grabs Ian's arm and nuzzles into his shoulder. He doesn't care how gay they look or if this is not something you do with friends, because this is exactly what he needs right now. 

The sudden boldness of his own actions has Mickey all kinds of nervous. Ian, on the other hand, falls into the position naturally. He starts slowly tracing his hand up and down Mickey's arm, while holding on to him at the same time.

Mickey's face is on Ian's bare chest. He is lying against another half naked dude. He tries to push all the negative thoughts he gets to the back of his mind and just focus on how nice it feels to be held like this.

His dick seems to agree that this is a great feeling, making Mickey move his hips away from Ian. No need to let the dude feel up close what Mickey is going through.

_It's just that pent up sexual shit. I definitely need to take care of that tomorrow in the shower._

He decides not to overthink the situation and just enjoy the warm, happy feeling filling up his chest.

All of the sudden, Mickey feels Ian shift under him and press a kiss on top of his hair. 

_Is this still okay?_ Mickey isn't sure, but the gesture has him feeling happy. 

He's glad that they're lying in the dark, because he's pretty sure that his cheeks are a deep crimson red. 

"It's okay Mickey, I'm here now. You need your rest." 

"Thank you Ian, good night… Again." 

"You too Mick." 

Ian is softly snoring soon after. He must be exhausted after this long day. Mickey hadn't even thought about that. 

Maybe tomorrow he could prepare some breakfast and let Ian sleep in.

Mickey nuzzles into Ian's shoulder and lets his arm rest on his chest. He feels safe in this man's arms. He's never let anyone sleep in his bed or slept in someone else's bed, but this feels comfortable. This feels good. He could definitely do this every day if Ian would let him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> much fluff <3
> 
> I've almost finished chapter 9, so that one will be up at the end of the week/the weekend (:


	9. Falling in love

Ian has been at the Milkovich residence for over a week now. 

They have this routine in which Mickey makes breakfast every morning, Mandy does the groceries on her way back from work and Ian cooks dinner every night.

Ian is thoroughly enjoying this routine; it feels very homely.

Their sleeping situation hasn't changed after that first night. Mandy had found them in the exact same position they'd fallen asleep in the next morning, but she'd just smiled and closed the door again. 

Neither of them had talked about it, but every night when the two boys went to bed, Mickey waited patiently for Ian to get ready and join him. 

They would wish each other good night, cuddle up and proceed to fall asleep like that. 

The kiss on top of Mickey's hair had become part of the routine as well. Ian feels Mickey relax in his arms every time that he does it, letting him know that he enjoys it, without words. 

Ian would have been more than happy to sleep on the couch or on the floor, but when Mickey had invited him into his bed so innocently, Ian couldn't turn down the offer.

It felt good to hold Mickey in his arms, but Ian was feeling all kinds of confused by it. He didn't exactly know what it meant. 

Apart from sleeping in the same bed and those kisses on top of Mickey's head, nothing else had happened between them. 

Ian isn't exactly sure if that was a good thing. He knows Mickey is gay because Terry blurted it out, but since Mickey hadn't told him himself, he isn't trying to push anything.

Ian never really had feelings for anyone before, only fleeting romances or one night stands with nameless faces. 

This seems different. Ian is sure that there's a connection between the two of them. He isn't exactly sure what it all means, but he does know that he enjoys Mickey's company, no matter what they're doing. 

During the day, when Mandy's at her summer job, they play cards, go on walks, play games and watch TV.

Yesterday Mickey had told Ian that he was feeling a lot better, so they took the grocery shopping task over from Mandy, giving her more time to herself.

Ian doesn't mind spending all his time with Mickey. He's enjoying getting to know him. It's a slow process, because Mickey seems to have tall walls surrounding him, but Ian is sure that he is tearing them down brick by brick and winning his trust.

Mickey is slowly opening up to him by telling him small details about his life, sharing how he is feeling and letting his guard down around him. 

Ian enjoys seeing this. With what Mickey must have gone through with Terry, Ian's surprised that he's trusting him this quick.

"Ian? Are you still with us?" 

Mickey is looking at him with a playful grin on his lips. 

They're in the middle of the Kash and Grab, grabbing stuff for dinner and some snacks. 

"I was lost in my thoughts." 

"Ok, weirdo. Mandy is hanging out with your sister again. Should we have dinner in front of the tv? We could order pizza, let you have a night off." Mickey winks. _He winks._

Ian would gladly scoop the smaller boy up and hug him tightly, but he knows Mickey wouldn't appreciate it, so a smile is all he gives. 

"Sure, Mick, good idea." 

Mickey gives him an enormous grin as he grabs two six-packs of beers. 

"Get some barbecue pringles and then we can go." 

Ian does as he is told and heads to the cash register to pay for their snacks, when Mickey sneaks in a box of ice popsicles. 

At Ian's questioning expression he shrugs. "It's a hot day." 

Ian chuckles and pays for their groceries. _Whatever makes him happy._

And that's it, he really wants Mickey to be happy. He would practically give up his own happiness to assure Mickey's. 

He has never felt this, not this intensely. 

Ian looks over at Mickey. Beautiful, insecure Mickey. The boy who pretends to be tough as nails, but Ian has gotten to know as a sweet sap over this past week.

Mickey gets easily flustered when Ian all but glances at him, stumbling over his words and reddening in the face. 

He enjoys being held, as long as it's behind closed doors.

He likes watching cheesy action movies while eating barbecue pringles and drinking a couple of bottles of beer.

Drunk Mickey is more open with himself and extra chatty, which Ian enjoys thoroughly.

Ian notices Mickey sneaking glances at him, while they are walking back towards the house.

Whenever Ian looks back or smiles, Mickey looks away and pretends like he doesn't even know about Ian's existence. 

It's confusing Ian, because Mickey seems to be interested in him, but distant at the same time.

He suspects that he's closeted because of Terry. The beating he got must have been the result of his sexuality as well. 

Ian wants nothing more than to protect him. Happiness and protection is what he deserves. And love, all the love Ian can give and Mickey will accept. 

While Ian is ordering their dinner form the local pizza place, Mickey is choosing a movie on Ian's Netflix account. 

Like Ian had predicted, he chooses some cheesy action flick, but he doesn't mind. He'd rather watch Mickey respond to the movie than watch the movie itself anyway. 

Mickey walks into the kitchen before popping his head back out and looking at Ian.

"Do you want some Pringles as well?" 

Ian shakes his head and takes a seat on the couch. 

Mickey shrugs. "Your loss dude." 

When Mickey sits down next to him, Ian notices that he is closer to him than he usually does.

Maybe it's because Mandy is not joining them or because Mickey is feeling braver than usual. 

Whatever the reason, it makes Ian feel like a teenager again. Mickey is so close to him that their knees occasionally touch, making the hair on his arms stand up.

"Ready?" 

Mickey looks at him with a smile, while holding the remote in one hand and a beer in the other.

"Yeah." 

Mickey unpauses the movie and settles in on the couch, scooting even closer to Ian. 

Ian's suddenly feels nervous. He hasn't felt this with anyone for a while. The fleeting romances he had are nothing compared to this.

Heart beating in his chest, he dares a small glance towards Mickey, who, in turn, quickly looks away. 

Ian can't believe how cute this guy is. He is doing his best to hide his interest, but Ian sees right through him.

He grabs his beer and inches even closer to Mickey. 

Mickey doesn't budge, even though their arms are now touching.

They stay like that for a bit, with Mickey focused on the movie and occasionally telling Ian to pay attention to a certain scene. 

He doesn't comment on the fact that Ian is so close or that Ian seems to be more interested in Mickey than the movie. His gaze is glued to the TV now, but Ian notices his hands fidgeting nervously with his beer bottle. 

When the doorbell rings, Mickey jumps up with a panicked look on his face.

"It's only the pizza, Mick, here's some money. I'll get us two new beers." 

Mickey relaxes and grabs the money out of Ian's hand before walking over to the front door. 

Ian grabs the beers and places them on the cardboard box that's serving as a coffee table.

With a huge smile on his face, Mickey hands Ian one of the boxes and puts the other one in his lap as he sits down.

"Enjoy," he says with a cheesy grin as he holds up the first slice.

"You too, Mick."

They eat their pizzas silently, while continuing the movie. Once both their pizza's are washed down with plenty of beers, Mickey brings the boxes to the kitchen.

"Another beer?" 

"Yes please!"

Mickey puts the beers on the box and hops onto the couch.

The storyline of the movie is terribly boring to Ian, but Mickey seems to enjoy it. He keeps poking Ian in his side whenever something funny or interesting happens.

It's an innocent way of making contact with Ian's body, but Ian's skin still feels like it's on fire. 

The next time Mickey tries to poke his side, Ian grabs his hand in his own and holds it.

Mickey doesn't fight him, but he also doesn't look at Ian. He just sits there, holding on to his hand. 

_I can't figure this guy out._

The credits start rolling, but Mickey keeps his gaze focussed on the TV screen. 

He wiggles his hand out of Ian's grip and stands up, only then meeting Ian's eyes.

"I need a smoke." 

Mickey turns away from him and grabs a pack of cigarettes from the dining table and another beer from the fridge before leaving out the back door.

_I fucked up. I went to far. He's not out. He might not even be gay. Maybe Terry just assumed. Mandy doesn't know about it, so maybe it isn't even true. Shit._

Ian isn't sure what to do. Should he follow Mickey outside and apologize or should he give him some space? 

Mickey is a stubborn guy, so it might be best if he just apologizes now.

He opens the backdoor and peeks out. Mickey is sitting on a garden chair in the backyard, smoking a cigarette.

It's chilly outside, too cold to be in a t-shirt like Mickey is.

Ian walks back inside and grabs his jacket and a blanket. 

He isn't sure if Mickey is okay with it, but he walks up to him and drapes the blanket around him anyway.

Mickey doesn't budge. He takes a big gulp of his beer before throwing the empty bottle into the yard. 

Ian grabs a chair and pulls it next to Mickey's. He sits down and looks at Mickey, who is staring at the grass under his feet.

"I'm sorry Mick, I shouldn't have done that." 

Blue eyes make contact with his and Mickey’s whole expression shifts.

He suddenly lunges forward, slamming himself into Ian and hitting his chest with hands.

The sudden movement and Mickey's speed makes them both topple over, into the grass.

Ians head hits the soft grass with a thud, the chair falling away underneath him.

With their limbs entangled, Mickey tries to hit Ian again, but he is too drunk and keeps falling on top of Ian every time he tries to hurt him.

Ian gently grabs Mickey and rolls him off him before pinning Mickey under him in the damp grass. In another situation this position would be very arousing, but this is not the place and time to have to these thoughts. Ian shakes them away before turning his attention to the panting boy lying underneath him. 

“What the fuck, Mickey?” 

Mickey doesn’t respond; he’s actively avoiding Ian’s eyes and quietly staring at the stars above them. 

Mickey grits his teeth, but doesn’t respond. He doesn’t fight his position either, arms pinned above his head and Ian on top of his stomach. 

“Are you good now?” 

Mickey exhales, his breath clear in the sold night sky. 

“Am good… Let... go.”

“Not until you tell me what’s going on, Mick.” 

“Fuck… Don’t… Don’t call me that.”

“Call you what?”

“Mick…”

He looks like he is in pain when he says it, making Ian wonder why this is such a big deal to him. 

“Why?” 

Mickey is still staring out into the distance, not looking at Ian.

“It… Does _things_ to me. I can’t-”

_He... What?_

“I’m sorry. I won’t do it anymore.” 

“Stop. Stop saying that… You always say sorry.” 

“I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. Not with the hand holding and not by calling you Mi- that…” 

Ian can’t seem to figure this boy out. He’s been trying for a week, but Mickey has more walls built up than he thought in the first place. 

“It’s not making me un… Uncomfortable. It’s just… It’s... Confusing.” 

“Is that why you tried to fight me?” 

Mickey nods, only now meeting Ian’s gaze. 

“It’s okay, Mickey.” 

Ian let’s go of Mickey and lets himself fall next to him in the damp grass. 

Mickey gets his arms out of the awkward position and lays them by his sides. He has his bottom lip pulled as he looks at the stars once more.

Mickey’s hand brushes against Ian’s and, without words, Mickey tangles his fingers in Ian’s.

It’s definitely not what Ian had expected after what just went down, but he decides to go with it and squeezes Mickey’s hand softly. 

The sky is clear and scattered with stars. It’s a beautiful sight, but Ian would rather look at Mickey. He could look at Mickey for ages and never get bored. He likes his face, the dark hair on top of his head that he likes to kiss every night and his body. He likes everything about this boy and this whole interaction must be confirmation that Mickey likes him as well. 

Ian suddenly becomes very aware of their visible breath in the night’s cold air. 

“Let’s get you inside before you freeze.”

Ian lets go of Mickey’s hand, who, in turn, lets out a whine. He gets up on his elbows before sitting up and helping the other boy into that position as well.

“But Ian, have you seen the stars? Look at them… They’re beautiful!” 

Mickey points at the sky with a beaming smile on his face. 

_This drunk boy is stupidly cute._

The sudden change in the atmosphere has Ian giggling. 

Mickey looks at him with furrowed brows, making Ian change his look into a more serious one. 

“Yeah, Mickey, I’ve seen the stars. They’re beautiful.” 

“Can we… Can we look at them a little more before we go inside?” The words come out slurred, but the pleading in them is still clear. 

“Sure.” 

Mickey smiles widely, but he can’t seem to be able to sit up by himself, so Ian makes the brave decision to get behind him and hold his upper body up with his own body. 

Unlike Ian had expected, Mickey leans into Ian and takes his arms to wrap around him, tracing his fingers over Ians hands. The feeling makes Ians insides warm and the hairs on the back of his neck stand upright. 

Ian wraps the blanket around the both of them and holds on the Mickey. 

They sit like that and look at the stars in silence until Ian can count the goosebumps on the exposed parts of Mickey’s skin. 

“Come on, enough stars for today, we’re going inside. We should definitely get to bed so you can warm up again.”

“Can we cuddle in bed?” 

“Of course.” 

Mickey turns around and looks at him with a spark in his eyes. 

“Okay, sexy red haired paramedic man.” 

_Sexy what now?_

Ian scrunches his eyebrows at Mickey’s sudden comment. “Excuse me?” 

“You are my big sexy angel. You came to rescue me when I… When I almost died. Big, strong arms angel… With fire in his hair. So beautiful and sexy and… And strong. I already said strong, I think.” 

_It’s just the beers talking, right? Sober Mickey would never even dream about uttering these words. Then again, he did accept Ian sitting right behind him and even took his arms around his body._

Ian is flattered, but he needs to make Mickey drink some water and get him into bed to sober up. 

In the morning, he probably won’t remember one word of this exchange, so Ian is not getting his hopes up for nothing.

“Okay, well, this uhm… Sexy paramedic wants you in bed stat, so come on.” 

Ian gets up and helps Mickey to his feet. 

Mickey holds on to his hand while they walk back inside. 

Ian places Mickey on one of the dining chairs and fills a glass of water for him. "Here, drink this, doctor's orders." 

Mickey does as told without protest and hands Ian the glass back. 

All of the sudden he is standing on wobbly feet, leaning against the table for stability. He pats the back of his shirt. 

"I'm all wet." Mickey exclaims before proceeding to take of said shirt and throwing it at Ian.

After that, he pulls his pants, which also seem to be soaked at the back, down and leaves them on the floor. 

Ian is thankful that he at least kept his underwear on, because he wouldn't want to have to explain _that_ situation to Mickey the next morning. 

Mickey smiles at him when he catches Ian looking at him, obviously enjoying the attention.

Ian feels his cheeks flush and he quickly looks away. 

"Okay Mickey, time for a bathroom break and brushing your teeth. I'll clean up in here in the meantime." 

Mickey reluctantly gets up and walks towards the bathroom.

When Ian joins him, he is in the process of brushing his teeth.

His face is wet, probably in an attempt to sober up a little, which, judging by his wobbly stance, didn't work.

Once they're both done in the bathroom, they head to Mickey's bedroom.

Mickey let's himself ungracefully fall onto the bed, which makes Ian giggle.

He gets under the covers and pouts at Ian for laughing at him.

This time, there's no secret glances when Ian gets rid of his shirt and pants. Mickey just full on stares at him, mouth slightly agape and a sparkle in his eyes.

Ian isn't sure what possesses him, but he decides to give Mickey what he probably secretly wants. He takes his time peeling off his shirt, flexing his muscles in the process. He does the same with his jeans, letting Mickey shamelessly enjoy the view.

He probably won't remember much in the morning anyway, but the smile on his face makes it worth it.

Mickey has never looked so comfortable with himself, which makes Ian happy and sad at the same time. Hopefully he’ll be able to achieve this without alcohol in his system in the future.

Ian will do whatever it takes to get him there. 

He winks at Mickey before turning the light off and crawling next to him.

Mickey quietly snuggles up to Ian and presses his face into Ian’s chest. 

“Thank you for taking caring of me.” 

He mumbles these words into Ian skin, but he catches them and kisses Mickey on top of his head. 

Mickey, in turn, makes a sound that can only be described as a content purr. 

Once again, Ian can only hope Mickey will be able to overcome his fears and doubts and be this comfortable with himself in his normal state. 

Ian falls asleep to the soft sounds of Mickey’s snoring. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading <3
> 
> Next chapter will be up after the weekend!


	10. Heavenly

Mickey wakes up feeling like he got run over by a truck. There’s a sharp pain in the back of his head and his limbs feel numb. 

A feeling of nausea overwhelms him, but he manages to keep last night’s dinner down while getting out of bed.

Ian seems to already have left the bedroom and his place on the bed feels cold.

_ What time is it even? _

Mickey rubs his eyes before checking the time on his alarm clock. 

It’s already noon, no wonder Ian’s already up. 

He heads into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Looking into the mirror, Mickey can see that he looks just as wrecked as he feels. His hair is in a wild disarray and he has bags under his eyes. 

After brushing his teeth, he splashes some water in his face, making him feel a little more awake, jogging his memory.

Small fragments of the previous night play out in his mind. He remembers sitting on the couch, watching the movie and eating pizza, when suddenly he feels Ian grab his hand. 

Mickey isn't sure what to do or how to respond, so he just holds on to Ian’s hand. It’s confusing him, because he knows Terry would kill him for doing something so gay, but at the same time it feels great and he would gladly do this all the time. 

He remembers going to the backyard, drinking more beer and smoking. He wanted Ian to follow him, but he didn’t. Only when his cigarette was almost gone did he hear footsteps. 

After the memory of him jumping and hitting Ian, everything gets blurry. It’s only tiny fragments that he remembers. 

Looking at the stars, Ian on top of him, Ian next to him, Ian behind him.  _ What the fuck? Did we actually sit like that? _

He remembers being cold and wet, getting rid of that feeling when he got inside. Ian looking on, wide-eyed and smiling. 

When the memory of Ian getting rid of his clothes comes to mind, Mickey sees the blush creep up his cheeks. 

Did he actually do that or was that a dream? Maybe he thought Mickey was too far gone and wouldn’t remember anyway. But Mickey  _ does _ remember. He remembers every flex of every muscle and he remembers the feeling that came with looking at Ian. 

He was so turned on, he would have jumped Ian if his body would’ve let him.

Mickey might only remember fragments of the previous night, but Ian definitely remembers everything. He handles his alcohol a lot better and also drank less than Mickey. 

_ I’m truly fucked. _

He contemplates hiding in the bathroom forever and avoiding the outside world forever, but he knows he must face Ian and discuss what happened. 

With his heart beating in his chest, he walks into the living room. 

Ian is sitting in one of the armchairs, reading a book. He must have brought it with him, because the Milkovich residence doesn’t have any books in the cupboards. 

The redhead looks up from his book with a smile. 

“Morning Mickey, how are you feeling?” 

“Like I was in an accident.” 

“I made breakfast, if you can stomach it.” 

“Thanks. Where’s Mandy by the way?”

“She stayed over at my sister’s, or, well, my childhood home I guess. I’ll take you there as well next week if you want to.” 

_ Meeting the family?  _ This makes Mickey even more nervous, but he doesn’t show Ian his true feelings. 

“Cool, sure.” 

Mickey walks into the kitchen to grab a plate of the eggs and bacon Ian prepared, before walking back towards Ian. 

He puts the plate on the dining table, but he is feeling too nauseous to eat. It isn’t because of the hangover; his stomach is tight with nerves. He needs to get this over with as soon as possible. 

Leaving the plate on the table, he walks up to Ian and takes a seat on the couch next to the armchair Ian is sitting in. 

Without looking at Ian, Mickey starts talking. 

“I used to have the biggest… Biggest crush on- you. In high school. You were this huge, attractive dude and I was just a scrawny boy… I was too scared to talk to you.” 

There it is. He said the words out loud. The nervous feeling hasn’t left him, because he doesn’t know what Ian’s reaction will be.

He carefully glances at Ian through his lashes. 

Ian is grinning like a fool. It’s not exactly the reaction he had hoped for or expected, but at least he isn’t weirded out. 

“You had a crush on me? I didn’t know.” 

“Of course you didn’t know. You didn’t even know  _ me.  _ I was always wishing you’d come up to me. You never did. I didn’t even know what being… Being gay was. But I knew I liked you.” 

“I’m sorry, Mick, I wish I’d known you earlier.” 

Ian walks up to Mickey and takes a seat next to him on the couch.

“I love when you do that.” 

“Do what?”

“Call me Mick. I love it… Dunno why.” 

“Yesterday you told me something different.” 

“I know.” 

“Do you remember… Anything?” Ian’s eyebrows are raised in question. 

“I remember most of yesterday, yeah.” 

Ian mutters a quiet  _ fuck  _ under his breath, which makes Mickey giggle. 

“I didn’t think I would admit this in a thousand years, but I really enjoyed last night. It felt good to be…”

“Free?”

“Exactly.”

Mickey grabs Ian’s hand, holds it in his own and traces his thumb over the freckled skin. 

“Do you still-” Ian doesn’t finish his sentence, so Mickey does it for him. “Have a crush on you?” 

Wide, green eyes look at Mickey and scan his face, waiting for an answer. 

“I think I do, yes. I’m not sure what it means… It’s… It’s hard. Because I don’t… I don’t want to be gay, but I do like you.” The sentence comes out in a stuttering slur of words, but Ian smiles at him and squeezes his hand.

“It’s okay, Mick, I like you too.” 

“You do?” 

Ian nods and smiles that beautiful smile of his.

Mickey can’t believe it. Ian likes him too. But what is he supposed to do with this? Does this mean they have to become boyfriends now? He’s not opposed to the idea though, if he’s honest. 

_ Does this mean I’m gay? _

“Fuck…”

“Fuck indeed.” 

"It's- I don't know. Terry always says… He always says Milkoviches aren't gay. Milkovich men marry vagina's he says. But my cousin Sandy, she- she's… Gay. So I don't understand."

Ian’s face softens and he wraps his longs legs under himself on the couch to face him. Mickey does the same, still holding on to Ian’s hand; his lifeline in this confusing situation.

"Mick… No one can tell you what your sexuality is. If you like guys then you're probably either gay or bisexual, there's nothing wrong with that." 

"So… Me having a crush on you is okay?” 

Ian nods and flashes his teeth. 

He’s glad Ian is so supportive, but he knows for sure that his dad won’t be. 

“But what if… What if Terry finds out? He will kill me."

“I think Terry already suspects it. He will have to accept it, Mick. And if he doesn’t, I'll always be here to protect you."

Mickey gets this warm feeling inside. Ian somehow always manages to make him feel safe.

He lunges forward again, this time without malintent, and wraps his body around Ian’s. 

Ian catches him in an instant and holds him close to his chest. 

“So ehm... You’re telling me you remember  _ everything _ from last night?” 

Mickey nods into Ian’s shoulder. He isn’t exactly sure what Ian is implying, but he does have an idea. 

“Okay… So when you were in bed…”

Mickey giggles. “Yeah, that was…  _ hot. _ ”

“I kind of hoped you wouldn’t remember.” 

Mickey moves his head back and faces Ian. He’s so close to Ian now, he can feel his breath on his face. 

“I’m glad I do. I do demand that treatment every night now.” 

What the actual fuck is possessing him? It feels like Mickey’s liquid courage has carried over into the next day. 

Ian grins before getting shy and looking away. 

Mickey isn’t used to being the one to be confident and in control, but he takes Ian’s chin and lifts his face up, until their eyes meet. 

Ian’s eyes trace over his face and go back and forth between his eyes and his mouth. 

Mickey knows exactly what Ian wants to do and he wants it too, but he isn’t sure. All these years of denying himself this feeling and now, suddenly there’s this beautiful man in front of him, who he likes and who likes him back. 

Would it really be that horrible to kiss him? The earth would probably not shatter right?

Mickey's moves his hand from Ian's chin to his jaw, softly caressing the stubbles on the skin.

He decides to take a leap of fate, moving closer towards Ian’s face, him doing the same.

Ian softly gasps when their lips finally meet.

If this were a movie, the sparks that Mickey feels between them, would fly around in the room.

The feeling is surreal, unlike any of the kisses he's shared with girls. Their mouths seem to move in perfect harmony.

Ian tightens his grip on Mickey's body and lets his tongue dart around Mickey's bottom lip. 

Mickey willingly parts his lips for Ian to enter and explore his mouth. 

If Mickey thoughts there were sparks before, then this must be fireworks.

His whole body feels like it's on fire when Ian licks into his mouth, drawing soft mewls from Mickey.

Ian can't seem to hold back his own sounds, moaning softly while his hands trace over Mickey's back.

Mickey swallows all his moans.

He can't believe he is actually doing it. He is kissing a boy. Not just any boy. He is kissing Ian.

In that moment, he forgets all his doubts and fears and just focuses on being with Ian. 

Ian, with his big, strong arms surrounding him and holding him in place, making sure he doesn't float away. 

Ian, who is passionately kissing him after saving his life, making sure Terry got taken care of and who took time off work to help him out.

Ian, who he had a crush on since he was young teen and who was now finally here, right in front of him, allowing Mickey to gently sink his teeth into that plump bottom lip.

Ian, who he desperately wishes would become his, but he isn't sure if he could do that. He isn't sure if he could tell the world about Ian. For now, he'd like to keep him as his personal little secret. 

For now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It only took them 20K words to finally kiss (:
> 
> Next chapter will be up in the weekend!


	11. You're all I want

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little later than I promised.... But here it is :D

One more day of bliss with Ian until he has to go back to work. 

Mickey isn't looking forward to it. He doesn't know what he's supposed to do during the day with both Ian and Mandy gone.

His high school days are over and now he has to orientate what job he would like after the summer holiday is over. 

Mickey's skills are mostly criminal and he isn't planning on pursuing a career in that field. Doing something entirely different than what his father does would be best. He wants to go legit, like Ian.

He’s not necessarily in a hurry to decide, so for now, he focuses on this last Sunday they have together.

Mickey is pretty sure that he has never felt happier and more comfortable in his own skin. He likes being around Ian. He makes him feel good about himself. 

They have spent the whole week making out like a couple of teenagers. Only stopping to eat, shower and sleep.

When Mandy came home early from work one day and caught them making out on the couch, she just smirked and assured Mickey that she had known this was bound to happen from the moment she'd seen Ian, and that there was no reason to be ashamed.

And Mickey isn't ashamed, he doesn’t mind Mandy knowing about them. It's nice, because he can give Ian a quick kiss on the lips without being secretive about it. 

Showing that same affection outside the comfort of his home is a different story. Even though Mickey is very proud that he got such a handsome guy to kiss, he isn't ready to share with the world that Ian is his boyfriend.

Mickey isn't even sure if he can call Ian his _boyfriend_. They haven't really talked about that. Mickey would like to be in a relationship with Ian. It would be his first actual one. 

Ian, on the other hand, has had a couple of exes and random bed partners. He is a lot more experienced than Mickey, on all aspects.

It still makes him a bit insecure, being the inexperienced one in the relationship, but Ian had assured him that it would all be okay and that they would take it slow.

Even though they have had _that_ talk, they haven’t really put a label on whatever this is they are doing now. 

“What’s on your mind, Mick?” 

_Stupid Ian and his ability to apparently read minds._ Should he lie or tell Ian the truth? Lying hasn’t really helped them in the past, so he should just be honest. 

“I… uhm… I was just wondering… What are we?”

Ian walks around the dining table to hug Mickey and place his face into his neck, pressing a soft kiss on the sensitive skin of his neck before letting go of Mickey and sitting down next to him.

He has a serious look on his face, and for a moment Mickey wonders if he has done something stupid, but Ian breaks into a smile and takes his hands into his own. 

“Whatever you’re comfortable with, Mick.” 

_Of course he would say something like that, the huge sap that he is._

Only after Ian has uttered those words, does Mickey notice how tense he is. Even in his mind, he has been downplaying how important this is to him. 

If he is completely honest, he would like Ian to be his. He would like to scream it to the whole world, take Ian by the hand and drag him through the whole neighbourhood to show him off. But that would Mickey to require to be even more honest and open with himself, and he isn’t sure if he’s ready for that. 

_So what exactly am I comfortable with?_

Mickey swallows before meeting Ian’s eyes again. He still has that same, warm smile on his face and he is patiently waiting for Mickey to gather his thoughts. 

“I… Uhm… I’d like to be… Boyfriends? I guess.” 

“You guess? Or you want to?” 

“I want to, but I’m scared, Ian. I don’t want Terry to find out. I know we’ve already talked about this, but I just don’t know if I’m ready to share the info with the world.” 

Ian nods, pulling his bottom lip into his mouth, and he slowly pulls his hands back towards his own lap. 

_Ian’s done with me. He’s shown enough patience, and now he is done with me. He doesn’t want to be kept a secret._

Mickey feels all kinds of anxious when Ian finally opens his mouth again. 

“Mick. I told you. We’re going at your pace. So, don’t worry about it.” 

Ian gets up from his seat and pulls Mickey up towards him. “Mickey Milkovich, will you be my secret boyfriend?” 

Mickey’s heart skips a beat and his breath is stuck in his throat. He can’t believe this guy, and he is sure that he doesn’t deserve him. 

With great effort Mickey mutters out a quiet _yes_ and he loops his arms around Ian’s neck, pressing his body into Ian’s. 

“You don’t know how happy I am that you found me and stuck around, Ian. Thank you for being so great.” 

Ian chuckles and grabs Mickey’s face to kiss him. Mickey melts into the kiss. He could keep doing this forever.

When Ian pulls back, Mickey almost feels disappointed. 

“So, _secret_ boyfriend,” Ian smiles at him. “What do you want to do on this last day before duty calls again for me?” 

“I just want to spend it all with you.” 

Apparently Mickey had said something right, because Ian chuckles again. “You’re cute, Mick. Do you want to go on a low key date?” 

Mickey frowns. “What’s a low key date?” 

“I don’t know, maybe we could grab some ice cream from the park? Nothing too gay.” Ian raises his eyebrows and smiles at Mickey, who, in turn, smiles as well.

“Sure, why not. I like ice cream.” 

“And then, when we get back, we can cook. Make sure Mandy can just relax and enjoy her dinner after work.” Ian ads. 

Mickey nods. Ian grabs his hand and leads him to front door, letting go of his hand once they’re out on the street. 

He knows Ian does this for him, but it still hurts. Mickey is so confused about everything. On one hand he is glad that no one can see what they feel for each other, but on the other hand he likes holding on to Ian.

With his stomach in a twist, he follows Ian down the path towards the street. The feeling doesn’t leave him while they walk towards the park, next to each other, but not linking their hands.

Ian won’t show this amount of patience forever, and Mickey isn’t sure how long he’ll be able to pretend that Ian is just a friend in public. 

It’s like he’s having an internal battle with his _pre-Ian_ self. 

Mickey shrugs the uncomfortable feeling off and keeps walking next to Ian, occasionally glancing his way and smiling when Ian looks back.

He isn’t exactly sure what possesses him in that moment, but Mickey reaches out and grabs Ian’s hand, his heart beating in his chest like he just ran a marathon. 

A small gasp escapes Ian’s lips, but then he just smiles widely and links his fingers with Mickey’s. 

They silently walk the rest of the way like this. 

Mickey’s heart is beating like crazy, afraid that someone might jump at them or yell obscenities, but no one seems to pay them any attention.

An overwhelming feeling of excitement runs through his veins as they make their across the park. 

The ice cream truck is outdated and shitty, but the ice cream they sell is great. 

They get in line behind a young couple and their toddler, who is screaming, because he hasn’t got his ice cream yet. 

Mickey sees Ian look at the kid with a slight smile on his face, before looking back at Mickey.

“What flavour do you want?” Ian is still holding on to him, while fishing his wallet out of his pocket with his other hand. 

“Chocolate.” Mickey answers with a smile. “What are you going to choose?”

“Vanilla.” 

_Of course he’d choose vanilla_. 

“What? What are you smirking about?

Mickey feels his cheeks flush. It’s really like Ian can read minds. 

“I was just thinking that it’s funny that you’re choosing that flavour, because _you_ smell like vanilla.”

“I do?” Ian’s eyebrows are raised and he smirks. 

Before Mickey can answer, they’re interrupted by the vendor, who asks them what flavour they want. 

Ian orders and pays for them both, and they sit down on a bench in the shade. The sun is shining bright and it’s a fairly warm day, but in the shade it’s cool enough. 

They eat their ice cream in silence for a moment, until Ian grins at Mickey. “So, vanilla, huh?” 

The blush on Mickey’s cheeks is back in no time. “Yeah. I noticed when you helped me in the hospital and everytime we cuddle or kiss. It’s my favourite scent.” 

Ian smiles at him and loops his free hand around Mickey’s waist. 

“You’re extremely cute. You know that right?” 

And then Ian kisses him. _He kisses him, in public._

Ian must have come to the same realization as Mickey at that moment, because he pulls back and puts a hand over his mouth. 

“Shit, sorry. I forgot. Fuck, you didn’t want this. I’m… Shit… Sorry.” 

Mickey’s cheeks feel like they’re on fire now, it’s even worse than a couple of seconds ago. 

He quickly glances around them, but the park is pretty deserted. The toddler that was in the queue in front of them is still struggling with the melting ice cream and his parents are occupied with their phones. 

Ian is still staring at him with a sad expression on his face. 

“Don’t worry about it, Ian.” 

Then he spots an elderly couple sitting on the bench next to them, the husband frowns at Mickey and Ian. 

It feels unfair to Mickey that he should feel ashamed about kissing his boyfriend out in the open. If he’s be a girl, there’d be no problem, but because they’re two boys they have to hide themselves? 

Granted, he was the one who wanted to keep Ian a secret, but still. This doesn’t seem fair at all.

_Fuck that old man._

Mickey swallows the last of his ice cream and grabs Ian by his shirt, kissing him on the mouth.

Ian quickly responds and kisses back, the surprise of Mickey’s action forgotten. 

Ian gets a bit too into it, forgetting about his ice cream, that’s melting in his hand and covering his arm and shirt. 

“Jesus, Mick.” 

Mickey chuckles and tries to get some of the ice cream of Ian, but it’s a desperate effort. 

“That’s going to be a shower.” Ian says while getting up to throw the remainder of his ice cream in the closest garbage bin. 

He sits down next to Mickey again and looks him in the eyes. “What changed?”

 _Yeah, what did change?_ Mickey isn’t too sure of it. He wanted to piss off the old man. With a quick glance he can see it worked. The old man has a face like a tomato and he is angrily gesturing at his wife. 

But he also just wanted to kiss Ian, in public, even though it went against everything that Mickey believed in up until now.

Something about Ian is different. Something about him _feels_ different. Mickey would do anything for him, he is absolutely sure of that. 

“I just felt like kissing you.” 

Ian’s eyes go wide, but then he smiles. “I didn’t mind that at all, and I’m proud of you. You’ve come a long way.” 

Mickey’s insides melt at the look on Ian’s face and the words he just uttered. 

“Okay enough mushy shit, let’s get this sticky stuff of you.” 

Ian chokes on his own saliva, but doesn’t respond. Mickey isn’t sure what he said, but he decides to let it go. 

When they get up and walk past the elderly couple, the man mutters _you guys are going to hell_ under his breath. 

Ian apparently chooses to ignore this, but Mickey feels like punching the old fuck in the face. Ian quickly grabs his arm and pulls him with him. “They’re not worth it, trust me.” 

Mickey scrunches his brows and looks up at Ian. “Does this happen a lot?” 

Ian shrugs and keeps walking, pulling Mickey with him, out of the park. 

“You’ll learn to ignore it. Plenty of nice people as well. My friend Trevor works with a bunch of LGBTQ+ kids, it's a great community.”

“Is that the Trevor that you kissed?” 

Ian seems to be confused by the sudden question, but he quickly gathers himself and smiles at Mickey. “Yeah, that's the one, why?” 

“I don’t know, just seems weird, kissing your friends.” 

“Are you jealous?” Ian grins, but Mickey is pretty sure that there’s nothing to grin about. 

He pouts and looks away from Ian, fixing his gaze on the pavement. 

Ian comes to a halt and pulls Mickey in front of him.

“Mick. There’s nothing to be jealous about. Trevor is my friend, it’s the only time it happened and it was only to antagonize Terry, you know that.”

Mickey slowly nods, realizing he is acting stupid. 

“Yeah, sorry. This,” he gestures between the two of them, “ is all new to me.”

Ian pulls Mickey close to him. “It’s okay. I want you to always tell me if something is bothering you, okay?”

“What’s bothering me right now, is that you are very dirty and you’re sticking to me.” 

Ian laughs and let’s Mickey go. 

“Guess you’ll have to join me in the shower then.” 

_Jesus, how can he just say stuff like that?_

“Yeah, I guess I will.”

Now it’s Ian’s time to blush, not expecting Mickey to respond like _that_. 

Mickey has seen Ian shirtless countless of times. He’s seen him in his underwear and lied right next to him like that, but now they’re both going to be completely naked.

_Naked. With. Ian._

Mickey feels like he can’t breathe, while Ian is carelessly undressing right in front of him, like this isn’t something that they’ve _never_ done before. 

He can’t stop staring at Ian, who, in turn, smiles at him and walks over to him in his underwear.

With one hand under his chin, he forces Mickey to look into his eyes. “You okay, Mick?”

Mickey can only nod, the words won’t come.

He wordlessly puts his arms in the air, so that Ian can help him get his shirt off. 

Once Mickey is only wearing his underwear as well, Ian grins at him, and, very theatrically puts his thumbs under the waistband of his boxers.

The movements Ian makes, remind Mickey of that one night when he got drunk. He nervously giggles before abruptly stopping and admiring everything that is _Ian._

He has obviously fantasized about it, but he had never hoped that Ian would look this good completely naked. 

Ian just silently smiles at him, while Mickey can’t help but stare. It’s the first time he’s actually seen a man naked. And damn, is he lucky to call Ian his.

Mickey’s insecurity comes back full blast when Ian walks over to him to get rid of Mickey’s underwear as well. 

Ian has seen and been with plenty of guys, what if Mickey disappoints him somehow?

When Ian steps closer to him, Mickey backs into the sink. Ian stops his movements and a serious look crosses his face. 

“Is something wrong, Mick? You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, you know that right?”

Ian, beautiful Ian, always worrying about him. _Fuck._

“It’s just…” Mickey seems to be unable to form a sentence, his nerves getting the better of him. “I mean… What if… I’m not what you like?” 

“Mick… Is that’s what’s bothering you?”

Mickey nods, avoiding Ian’s eyes.

Ian slowly, carefully closes the distance between them. He cups Mickey’s cheeks and kisses him softly. Mickey reciprocates the kiss, even if he is confused about the shift in Ian’s demeanor. 

“I’m sure you’re perfect Mick.” Ian whispers against Mickey’s lips. “Plus,” he adds, “I’ve kind of already felt _everything_ against my thigh, like every morning.” 

Mickey’s embarrassment and confusion get replaced by the overwhelming feeling of being turned on. 

Ian seems to have zero shame in what he says, and more importantly, _how_ he says it.

One quick glance down is enough for Mickey to see that Ian is feeling exactly the same as him. 

_Jesus._

With a sudden feeling of bravery and the urge to be closer to Ian and have their bare skin touching _everywhere_ , Mickey gets fully naked. 

Ian grins and mutters _told you, perfect_ under his breath, before pulling Mickey with him under the shower. 

They stand under the warm stream of the shower, kissing, touching, hands gliding and exploring each other’s bodies.

Mickey is getting more and more turned on. He doesn’t care about the sounds escaping his lips when Ian licks into his mouth and grabs the soft flesh of his ass. 

“Fuck, Ian.” 

“Mick, do you trust me?” 

Mickey doesn’t even have to think about it. 

“Yes.” 

“Okay, then let me take care of you.” Ian whispers in his ear before dropping to his knees and swallowing Mickey down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked it ^-^


	12. You're the only good thing in my life

“Are you out of your mind? You’ve been together for… What? Six months? It’s too fast Ian.” Fiona is looking at him like he just said the craziest thing imaginable. 

“You’re the one to talk, Fiona. I’m not marrying him, I’m just asking him to move in with me so he can be safe. And I’m not just asking Mickey, I want Mandy to be safe too.”

Fiona is now just staring at him silently. Because she is his big sister, Ian always turns to her when he is unsure about something, but in this case it might have been better if he’d just done it and told her after the fact.

“We’ve been together for nine months now Fiona, that’s a lot longer than it took for you to marry Gus. And with Jimmy/Steve and Sean, I’m not sure if you can really tell me what to do.” 

“Low blow, Ian. I guess I’m not the one to tell you this, because I fucked it all up with Gus and with Sean, and everything seems to always blow up in my face when it comes to relationships, but that’s the reason I want to prevent you from making the same mistakes.”. 

Ian nods and walks over to his sister, pulling her into an embrace. “It’s okay Fi, I know what I am doing.” He whispers the words into her hair and feels her relax in his arms. 

Carl, who has been watching the argument from the couch, suddenly breaks the silence. “I’ve never seen you look at anyone the way you look at Mickey. If it feels right, it  _ is _ right. You saved his life, Ian. You’ve practically been living together since the start anyway and you haven’t killed each other yet, so I’m pretty sure you guys are meant to be together.” 

Fiona seems to be just as baffled over these sudden words of wisdom as Ian is. They let go of each other and both stare at their younger brother in silence. Carl just shrugs and continues focussing on his video game.

A small giggle escapes Fiona’s throat and she finally smiles, patting Ian on the back. “Well, you heard Carl, go get your man.” 

Ian chuckles, walks over to the couch and softly hits Carl over the head, a gesture that’s meant in a loving way, that he has done for years. His brother just accepts it, silently rubbing the spot once Ian has left out the front door.

The moment the Milkoviches got the call about Terry being released early, Ian had this idea in his mind. He’s got enough room for both of the siblings in his apartment. Mandy is close enough to her school to travel by bus and Mickey can almost walk to work. They will be gone from the dump they call home and be safe with Ian. 

At least he hopes he can keep them safe. His biggest concern is Terry finding out his son is living with a man and getting him alone at his workplace or somewhere on the street. Maybe Ian should just have an honest conversation with him, man to man.

Whatever he will do about Terry, first he has to convince the Milkoviches to leave their childhood home, however shitty it may be, they still grew up in it. 

Then there’s the problem of Mickey’s feelings. Even though he had grown a lot in showing his affection, even in public, Ian isn’t all too sure if Mickey would be okay with this huge step in their lives. Obviously, their lives would eventually lead to this step, but it’s only been six months and Mickey is still pretty young. 

Ian's been going over every possible reaction and scenario for the past couple of days, but he decided to just let it go and see what happens. While making his way towards the house, he can’t help but think what will happen if Mickey says no.

Ian should really stop chewing on his bottom lip, he can taste blood. 

His heart is pounding in his chest as he walks up the steps to the front door. The sound drowns out everything else while Ian let’s himself into the house. 

Mickey is sitting in front of the tv, a cigarette between his lips, smoke surrounding his small physique. 

When Ian walks in, Mickey diverts his attention from the tv and looks at Ian. He puts the cigarette into the ashtray and gets up from his seat, practically runs to Ian and jumps into his arms.

Ian nuzzles his face into Mickey’s hair and kisses him, while holding him tightly. 

“Mick, can we talk?” Mickey pulls back with a concerned face. 

“No, not like that, I just want to ask you something. Let’s sit down.” 

Ian takes Mickey’s hand and drags him towards the dinner table and seats him across from himself. The nervous feeling returns, making him feel violently sick. Before he loses his lunch, Ian should just get this over with. Worst case scenario, he says no and Ian will have to protect him from a distance. 

Mickey is just staring at him, brows furrowed, probably thinking the worst. 

“Just spit it out man, don’t be such a girl about it.”

Ian bites his lip again and starts talking. “I uhm- well… You know, with Terry being released in two weeks, I thought it might be a good idea to… Well… That you and Mandy move in with me, for safety. I can… I can protect you guys.” 

Mickey’s face softens and he grabs Ian’s hand. It’s not the reaction Ian would’ve expected, and he isn’t sure if this is okay. If Mickey’s really okay with this or if he is just going along with it to please Ian. 

Mickey stays quiet for a minute, squeezing Ian’s hand to get him to look him in the eyes. “Yes Ian, I, or we, will move in with you. I thought you’d never ask.” He wiggles his eyebrow at the last part of the sentence, making Ian laugh of relief.

“Can’t wait to get out of this dump.” 

Ian’s heart drops to his stomach. “Is that… Is that the only reason you want to move in with me?”

Mickey smiles and gets up from his seat, walks over to Ian and sits in his lap. This is not something they do, and it surprises Ian. Mickey then proceeds to place his hands on Ian’s cheeks and kisses him slowly, before pulling back and smiling. “No silly, I want to move in with you because I love you.” 

_ I love you.  _

_ Ian remembers the first time he said it. It was about three months into their relationship, after the first time they had slept together. Mickey was lying in Ian’s arms, a content smile on his face. Ian had never felt so satisfied before. Not just physically, but emotionally as well. Mickey had come into his life so suddenly and unexpectedly, and Ian had devoted everything to him from the moment he’d seen him first.  _

_ Lying there, Mikey almost purring while Ian softly stroked his naked back, Ian couldn’t contain his excitement and his love for this guy. The words just came out. Ian hadn’t planned it, and the moment he said the words out loud, he’d expected Mickey to freeze in his arms.  _

_ Mickey didn’t freeze though. He looked up at Ian and smiled a bright, beautiful smile. “I love you too, Ian.”  _

_ Ian’s heart had filled with a warmth that had been unfamiliar to him before. He had held Mickey even tighter, and they stayed like that for the rest of the night, falling asleep in each other’s arms.  _

Mickey smiles down at Ian again and boops his nose. “You gotta say it back, Ian.” 

Ian really can’t believe how much this guy has grown in the last half year. He’s so much more comfortable in his own skin, it’s crazy. 

With Mickey feeling more like himself, Ian finally got to see this cheeky side of him. There’s still some insecurity issues he’ll need to get over, but it’s getting better, Mickey is really getting there.

“I love you too, Mick. And I’m glad you said yes. I’m just still worried about Terry. What if he comes back for you? Do you think I can talk to him and ask him to leave you and Mandy alone?”

“Terry is a fucking moron. He won’t listen to you, especially not after what you did with Trevor, right in front of his face. I think threatening will work better with  _ shit for brains.  _ I have enough dirt on the man to send him away for life.”

Ian nods, accepting this plan. He just hopes it will work and that they can live and love in peace. If Mickey is not under Terry’s roof anymore, it might bother him less. 

“What did Mandy say?” 

“I haven’t asked her yet, I wanted to ask you first.” Ian mindlessly circles his index fingers on Mickey’s upper leg, while looking at him with a soft smile. 

“I don’t think she’ll mind. She’s already familiar with your place.”

“Not as familiar as you though, right?” Ian winks, making Mickey’s face flush a crimson red. He’s probably thinking exactly about what Ian was hinting at. All the nights they spent at Ian’s place when they needed some alone time, without Mandy lurking around. 

If Mandy says yes to Ian’s offer, there’ll be a couple of months without the much needed privacy, but if Ian can keep them safe, he’s okay with the sacrifice. 

Once Mandy finishes high school, she wants to go to college and live in the dorms. She’s been working very hard to get her grades up. She and Debby spend all their free time together studying for their finals and it’s paying off for the both of them. 

The two of them have become best friends, conjoined at the hip. Ian is happy for the both of them, because neither of them seemed to have any good friends before that. 

Mandy comes into the house through the back door and spots them still sitting on top of each other at the dinner table. Ian half expects Mickey to jump off him and pretend nothing ever happened, but he doesn’t. Ian is still getting used to this new and improved, confident Mickey.

“What are you lovebirds up to?” Mandy asks while dropping her bag in the kitchen.

She takes a seat across them and places her elbows on the table, resting her head on top of her open palms. 

Mickey moves around on Ian’s lap to face his sister. “Ian asked me to move in with him.”  _ Straight to the point, I see. _ “We want to ask you to come too, you know, in the spare bedroom.” 

Mandy smiles, but slowly shakes her head. “It’s very nice of you, but I actually already have plans with Debby. We’re done with school in two months and after the summer we’re planning on sharing a room at the dorms, so we thought it would be smart to rent an apartment together, see if we can actually stand seeing each other 24/7. And with Terry’s earlier than expected return, we already started looking and found a small apartment close to the college we want to go to. It’s only a few stops by train, so we’ll probably just stay there for the first year.” 

Ian didn’t expect that at all, but he’s glad that the two girls have found each other and seem to have their life figured out at this age.

“I’m really happy for you, Mandy.” Ian says and he smiles at her, but Mickey stays silent in his lap.

Ian squeezes Mickey’s arm, but he doesn’t respond. He’s staring at the table. Mandy seems to notice his weird demeanor as well and cocks her head. 

“Mickey, what’s up?” 

“I’m just so used to you being around, I’ll miss you.” 

“Aww, Mickey, I didn’t know you were just such a sap. I won’t be far away, we’ll see each other enough times, okay?” 

Mickey nods and seems to lighten up. “I’m not a sap, okay. Let’s agree to have dinner together at least once a week, okay?” 

Mandy has a bright smile on her face. “That’s a great idea, Mickey, we’ll do that, I promise. So, what are we doing about Terry? Running away and hiding is not really the Milkovich style.” 

“I know, we’ve been thinking about either talking to him or threatening him to send him back to jail.” Ian responds. 

“We could also just set the house on fire and make him move in with one of his brothers. They live far away enough for him not to bother us anymore.” 

The idea is radical, but Ian has seen worse things in his life if he is honest. 

“Maybe  _ that _ should be plan B. We talk to him, and if he doesn’t listen, then we can organize a little accidental fire or something.” Ian says, not really believing that he just said those words out loud.

Both of the Milkoviches agree with that plan, even if it’s very crazy. 

  
  


Two weeks later, Mickey has moved in with Ian, and Mandy and Debby have moved into their shared flat. 

Mickey’s stuff is all around Ian’s apartment, he loves it. His house is finally becoming a home. On their first day together they went out to shop for, according to Mickey,  _ essential _ items that he never had in his own house.

They got a bunch of pillows and a blanket for the couch, a couple of candles and some plants.  _ Plants _ . Ian would have never assumed that Mickey would be one to take care of plants, but it’s actually very adorable in his opinion. 

Mandy and Mickey storm into the apartment, waking Ian up from his daydreams. “We talked to him, Ian, it was wonderful! Apparently Terry found Jesus in prison and now he’s all about forgiveness, which we won’t give him, but still, his vendetta is over now.” Mandy almost screams the words in her excitement. 

“Just to be safe, we also threatened him with the fire, but that wasn’t necessary, according to him. He’ll leave us alone and  _ work the steps  _ or whatever.” Mickey adds with an eye roll. 

Ian can’t believe what he is hearing. If Terry does change his mind, he will be there to protect both Mickey and Mandy, but this does make their lives easier. 

“Does this… Does this mean that you’ll move back home?” Ian directs the question at Mickey, but Mandy answers for the both of them. “No, no, the plans stay the same. Redemption arc or not, we’re glad to be rid of that man, and that house either way.” 

Mickey nods and smiles, walking over to Ian and pulling him into an embrace. “If anything happens, you are here to protect my ass, right? I’ve heard you say those words about a million times.” 

“I didn’t say anything about your ass specifically, but yes, I’ll protect you with my life.” 

Mickey actually looks offended. “I thought you quite liked my ass.” He winks at Ian.

“That’s my cue to leave.” Mandy grins at them and waves, before letting herself out of the apartment.

Mickey pulls Ian to the couch and seats himself next to Ian before cuddling up to him. They sit like that in silence for a few moments, making Ian feel like the happiest person on earth. 

He has Mickey. Cute, loving, insecure Mickey. Mickey, who has grown so much in the past couple of months. The Mickey who he found on the floor of his own house, beaten and broken. The Mickey who is now proudly living with his boyfriend, kissing him in public and not giving a single fuck what anyone thinks about them. The Mickey who doesn’t have to be afraid of his dad anymore. 

Ian looks down at Mickey, squeezes his arm and smiles at him. He’s pretty sure he can’t get any happier than this. 

“I really like this apartment, but once we are married, get a dog and adopt a couple of kids, we’ll need a house with a garden and a white picket fence.” 

Mickey’s words appear out of thin air so suddenly, that Ian isn’t quite sure how to respond. 

Apparently Mickey can get him even happier than he thought. 

Ian can’t wait for the rest of their lives together. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading <3  
> I finally finished it haha :D  
> It's a sappy happy ending, but there's enough shit in the world, so this is what I need right now. Hope you all enjoyed (: <3


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